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Fraudulent use of EU funds: Federica Mogherini indicted

by AI | 03.Dec 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The former head of European Union diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, has been indicted in a corruption investigation concerning the awarding by the EU of a training contract to the College of Europe, which she has headed for five years.

A student works at the library of the Collège d'Europe, a postgraduate institute for studies and training in European affairs, in Bruges. (Photo: Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

Brussels – Federica Mogherini and two other suspects, arrested like her on Tuesday in Brussels, were formally charged at the end of a day of questioning by the Belgian police, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday.

They are Stefano Sannino, a senior official of the European Commission, and Cesare Zegretti, co-director of the College of Europe in charge of training and projects, a source close to the case told AFP. All three were released under conditions during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The investigation concerns suspicions of favoritism and unfair competition in the awarding in 2021–22 to this institution of a training program for future diplomats, by the EU diplomatic service (EEAS) which Ms Mogherini headed from 2014 to 2019.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Federica Mogherini stated that the College of Europe had always respected “the highest standards of integrity and fairness,” including when it launched the Diplomatic Academy of the Union three years ago, the program at the heart of the investigation. (3 December 2025)