The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is investigating the European Commission. It is about the sale of real estate to the Belgian state, as the European Commission itself confirmed.
February 12, 2026, 2:55 p.mFeb 12, 2026, 3:16 p.m
EPPO itself also announced that it was collecting evidence as part of an ongoing investigation. It initially remained unclear whether there were also searches of the EU Commission’s offices in Brussels.
A commission spokesman said they were aware of the ongoing investigation. Accordingly, it is about the sale of 23 Commission buildings to the Belgian state in 2024. At that time, the EU Commission announced that the Belgian sovereign wealth fund would acquire the buildings for an amount of 900 million euros. The sale will enable the Europaviertel to be transformed into a modern, attractive and greener district, according to the announcement at the end of April 2024.
According to the announcement, there had previously been a public tender that the Belgian sovereign wealth fund won. At that time, the European Commission set itself the goal of reducing its office space by 25 percent by 2030.
EU Commission: Procedure was orderly
The spokesman for the EU Commission now announced that they are committed to transparency and accountability and will cooperate fully with the EPPO and the responsible Belgian authorities. It also said: “To the knowledge of the European Commission, the sale of the buildings took place in accordance with the established procedures and protocols and we are confident that the process was carried out properly.”
The EPPO initially did not want to provide any further details about the investigation “in order not to jeopardize the ongoing proceedings and their results”. The institution investigates and prosecutes crimes affecting the financial interests of the European Union. (sda/dpa)