By Enver Robelli
When Federica Mogherini’s name began circulating in 2014 as a candidate for the post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Poland and the Baltic states pushed back. They called her inexperienced and—worse—pro-Russian, someone inclined to sympathize with Vladimir Putin.
At the time, Putin had just invaded Ukraine’s Crimea. After a few lukewarm European protests, the Russian dictator was swiftly rehabilitated. In late June 2014, Putin was welcomed in Vienna with a red carpet and all the honors imaginable. The same thing happened again in 2018.
Putin returned to Vienna. Mogherini did not find it necessary to protest. At that time, she was already being accused of having tolerated—if not actively supported, including logistically—the secret talks on the partition of Kosovo.
In the autumn of 2018, nearly 60 civil society organizations from Kosovo sent a letter to Mogherini expressing concern over her statements on Kosovo, which they described as dangerous for the country’s statehood.
Her arrest on suspicion of financial misconduct at the elite College of Europe—based in Bruges and partially funded by the EU—comes as no great surprise.
Her closeness to autocratic leaders and figures suspected of corruption has been visible for years.
Alongside Mogherini, Stefano Sannino has also been arrested—one of the most influential diplomats within EU structures.
He served as Secretary-General of the EU’s External Action Service. EU politics observers in Brussels have long accused him of showing undue understanding toward Serbia’s autocratic president, Aleksandar Vučić.
Sannino spent part of his career in Serbia: in the 1990s, he was Italy’s deputy ambassador in Belgrade, and after the fall of Slobodan Milošević, he headed the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
In Brussels, he has served, among other roles, as Director-General for the EU’s Enlargement Policy. Since February, Sannino has been Director-General responsible for the Near East and North Africa.
The third person arrested in connection with the investigation is Cesare Zegretti, co-director of the College of Europe’s office for executive education, training, and projects.
In addition to Belgium, the College of Europe also has campuses in Warsaw and Tirana. The Tirana campus opened in 2024.