Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s former foreign policy chief, resigned from a senior post in Belgium after being detained for questioning and named a suspect in an anti-corruption probe, authorities said.
This is by far not the first scandal that erupts in the supposed capital of Europe. As the Patriots of Europe put it on social media, there is now an unquestionable “accountability crisis” affecting EU institutions.
The PfE therefore demands a “full parliamentary inquiry.”
The investigation, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), centres on suspected fraud linked to the award of an EU-funded training programme for junior diplomats to the College of Europe.
52-year-old Mogherini served as head of the Bruges-based institute. She was questioned this week alongside another member of the college’s staff and Stefano Sannino, the director-general of the EU’s diplomatic service.
Hungarian legal professor Pál Szilágyi remarked that officials may perceive Belgium as unsafe because there are “consequences to misconduct.”
European political consultant Kendra Stenberg also said it is “interesting that a suspect of corruption claims she doesn’t feel safe in Brussels anymore,” adding:
Good, it means our institutions are starting to hold people accountable.
