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Belgian police have raided several European Commission premises in Brussels as part of an investigation into the 2024 sale of EU-owned real estate assets worth around €900 million, placing the EU executive under renewed scrutiny over transparency and financial governance.
Searches were carried out early on Thursday, February 12th, at multiple Commission buildings, including offices linked to the budget department.
The probe concerns the sale of 23 Commission buildings to Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund, SFPIM, during the previous Commission mandate, when Johannes Hahn served as budget commissioner.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is leading the investigation. “The EPPO can confirm that it is conducting evidence-collecting activities in an ongoing investigation,” spokesperson Tine Hollevoet said, adding: “There is nothing else that we can share at this stage, in order not to endanger the ongoing procedures and their outcome.”
A Commission spokesperson said the EU executive was “aware of an ongoing investigation” and stressed confidence in the transaction. “The sale of the buildings followed established procedures and protocols, and we are confident that the process was conducted in a compliant manner,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Commission “will co-operate fully with EPPO and the competent Belgian authorities on this issue”.
The €900m sale formed part of a broader effort by the Commission to reduce its office footprint by around a quarter, reflecting increased remote working since the COVID-19 pandemic.
While no charges have been announced, the raids come at a politically sensitive moment for EU institutions, which have faced a series of high-profile corruption and ethics scandals in recent years. These include Qatargate, Moroccogate, and Pfizergate, all of which have fuelled criticism over opaque decision-making and alleged foreign influence.
The investigation also casts a shadow over the Commission’s recent leadership: Didier Reynders, the former justice commissioner—who was tasked with “upholding the rule of law” in EU member states—was formally charged with money laundering last November, following a long-running investigation into suspicious financial transactions.
For an EU already grappling with damaged public trust, the sight of police entering the Commission’s own headquarters further undermines the credibility of the bloc’s institutions.
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