ASIATODAY.ID, BRUSSELS — The European Union is facing one of its most explosive political crises in years.
A sweeping corruption probe targeting former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has escalated into a direct threat against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Mogherini — who served as the EU’s top diplomat from 2014 to 2019 and now heads the College of Europe — was detained on Tuesday.
She has been formally charged by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office with procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and breaches of professional secrecy related to an EU-funded diplomatic academy project.
Von der Leyen’s critics are now seizing the moment to push for a new vote of no confidence, describing the scandal as the EU’s most serious test of accountability in a generation.
“Those who dislike von der Leyen will use this against her — they use everything against her,” one EU official told Politico.
“Because she is the most visible leader in Brussels, everything lands at her door.”
Friction with Kaja Kallas Intensifies
The investigation is also straining von der Leyen’s relationship with the EU’s current foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as the case involves activities linked to the European External Action Service, which Kallas oversees.
Shadow of ‘Pfizergate’ Returns
The Mogherini affair piles new pressure on von der Leyen, who still faces political blowback from the ‘Pfizergate’ controversy over her undisclosed text messages with Pfizer’s CEO during Covid-19 vaccine negotiations. That dispute triggered a previous no-confidence motion in the European Parliament, which she narrowly survived.
New Storm: Von der Leyen Pushes Ahead With Seizing Russian Assets
As the scandal unfolds, von der Leyen is also at the center of another heated battle — the EU’s plan to use frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Ukraine.
Von der Leyen Defies Belgium
Shortly after the Mogherini scandal broke, von der Leyen doubled down on another highly contentious initiative: forcing financial institutions to channel frozen Russian assets into a “reparations loan” for Ukraine, despite Belgium’s firm objections.
The Commission on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to provide €90 billion in financial support for Kyiv over the next two years. Two funding options are on the table:
1. EU-level borrowing, backed by the bloc’s budget — requiring unanimity, and therefore unlikely to pass.
2. The much-debated reparations loan, which would oblige institutions like Euroclear to transfer immobilized Russian funds into a new lending mechanism for Ukraine. This option only requires a qualified majority, making it far more viable.
Belgium — home to Euroclear and the bulk of the frozen Russian reserves — has mounted the strongest resistance.
Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the plan “the worst option of all,” while Prime Minister Bart De Wever condemned it as “a complete illusion” to believe Ukraine could defeat Moscow and force reparations payments.
Von der Leyen insists the Commission has “listened very carefully” to Belgium’s concerns and has “taken almost all of them into account.”
Despite Belgium’s opposition, the proposal can advance because it falls under policy areas decided by qualified majority voting, preventing any single country from wielding a veto.
Russia has slammed any attempt to use its sovereign assets as outright theft, warning that such actions will trigger far-reaching legal and retaliatory consequences. (RT)
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