EditThe Epstein files take their toll on European figures
Former EU commissioner Peter Mandelson and former EU envoy fort the Balkans Miroslav Lajčák are among the high-profile casualties
The latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files, released by the U.S. Department of Justice on 30 January has sent shockwaves beyond American shores, claiming high-profile casualties in Europe.
Over three million pages, emails, and other documents have revived scrutiny of the late financier’s network, revealing associations that continue to haunt public figures. In the European Union context, two prominent cases stand out: former EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and former EU Special Representative for the Balkans Miroslav Lajčák. Their departures underscore how Epstein’s shadow lingers over transatlantic politics, raising questions about influence, integrity, and potential foreign interference in EU affairs.
Peter Mandelson, a towering figure in British and European politics, resigned his membership in the Labour Party on Sunday. The former UK Business Secretary and EU Commissioner for Trade (2004–2008) cited a desire to avoid causing “further embarrassment” to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing party. The trigger: newly disclosed documents suggesting Epstein made three payments totaling $75,000 (£55,000) to accounts linked to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson, who has long denied improper ties, stated he had “no record or recollection” of receiving the funds and questioned the documents’ authenticity, pointing to apparent errors in dates, formatting, and details.
This is not Mandelson’s first brush with Epstein-related fallout. He was sacked as UK Ambassador to the United States in September 2025 after earlier revelations, including emails referring to Epstein as a “best pal.” The 2026 files added fuel, with some reports mentioning attempts by Epstein to influence UK banking policy in 2009, post-Mandelson’s EU tenure. While no criminal wrongdoing has been alleged, the optics are damaging for a figure once central to EU trade negotiations and Brexit-era diplomacy. Mandelson remains on leave from the House of Lords, but his exit from Labour marks a symbolic blow to the party’s efforts to project clean governance.
In Slovakia, the repercussions were even swifter. Miroslav Lajčák, currently national security adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico and a veteran diplomat, resigned on Sunday. Lajčák previously served as Slovakia’s Foreign Minister multiple times, President of the UN General Assembly (2017–2018), and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues (until 2019). The Epstein files included text exchanges from October 2018 – during his second stint as Foreign Minister – where he and Epstein discussed women in light-hearted terms alongside diplomacy, including a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. One message reportedly referenced “gorgeous girls” in Kyiv.
Lajcak, the pro-Serbian former EU envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, exchanged messages about girls with Epstein.
They corresponded and met frequently, the newly published batch of Epstein files reveals.
"I love Lavrov," Lajcak says in one of the messages pic.twitter.com/DqLftj2wVJ
— Admirim (@admirim) January 31, 2026
Lajčák denied any wrongdoing, condemned Epstein’s crimes, and described the exchanges as innocuous. Prime Minister Fico accepted the resignation, praising Lajčák’s service while acknowledging the political pressure. The episode revives questions about Lajčák’s post-EU career and his proximity to sensitive foreign policy circles, particularly given Slovakia’s evolving stance on EU-Russia relations under Fico.
These resignations highlight broader European unease with the Epstein saga. The files, while not proving criminality for most named individuals, expose networks that blur personal, financial, and geopolitical lines – precisely the kind of entanglements the EU seeks to guard against in its foreign and security policy.
Adding an explosive layer, UK tabloid reports, including a February 2026 Daily Mail article, revive longstanding theories that Epstein’s operation functioned as a “KGB honeytrap” linked to Russian intelligence. American experts cited in such coverage suggest Epstein was drawn into espionage through business ties with Robert Maxwell, the disgraced media mogul and father of Ghislaine Maxwell (currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking). Maxwell, who died mysteriously in 1991, allegedly had KGB connections; Epstein is said to have met Ghislaine shortly after. Speculation ties this to Russian recruitment via compromising material, with references to “Russian girls” and Putin’s orbit. While these claims remain unproven and sensational, they resonate amid heightened EU concerns over hybrid threats, disinformation, and influence operations from Moscow.
For the EU, the fallout carries institutional weight. Mandelson’s EU Commission role involved steering trade policy during enlargement and globalization’s peak; Lajčák shaped the bloc’s Balkan strategy, a priority amid enlargement fatigue and Russian meddling in the region. Their associations, however tangential, fuel skepticism about elite vulnerabilities—especially as the EU pushes for stricter foreign agent registration, anti-corruption rules, and resilience against malign influence.
Brussels has remained largely silent, but the incidents coincide with ongoing debates over ethical standards for former officials and the need for transparency in high-level networks. The Epstein files, mandated by U.S. legislation under President Trump, continue to drip revelations, prompting calls for congressional scrutiny of international ties.
Although Trump’s name appears over 1,000 times across the recently released Epstein files – often in emails, flight logs, or social mentions – he does not take center-stage in the latest disclosures, at least for now.
With agencies.
Caption: Photo of Miroslav Lajčák and Jeffrey Epstein released by the DOJ on 30 January.
Updated: February 2, 2026 - 07:31
