“For 2–3 days, Mr. Chrysochoidis kept it in a drawer and didn’t inform me; I don’t know why—that’s his business.”

Dimitris Avramopoulos claimed in a television interview that he had approval from the European Commission for his participation in Fight Impunity, with a monthly salary of 5,000 euros, which he declared and paid taxes on in Greece, while emphasizing that he never promoted the interests of Qatar.

Avramopoulos: I had written permission from the Commission

Dimitris Avramopoulos, speaking on SKAI’s program “Today” on SKAI, stated that former European Commissioners are required, for two years after the end of their term, to request permission for any professional activity they undertake.

As he said, he informed the European Commission in writing that he had been invited to participate in Fight Impunity and received a written response stating that he could do so. According to him, he requested further clarification on whether he could be compensated for his participation and received another affirmative response, while the “green light” was also given by the Ethics Committee of the European Commission.

Regarding Fight Impunity: The funds were declared and taxed

Mr. Avramopoulos claimed that he participated in Fight Impunity as an “honorary member,” without any executive powers. When asked about his compensation, he stated that he received 5,000 euros per month, which, as he said, he declared properly and paid taxes on in Greece.

Responding to accusations of a possible kickback, he emphasized that these specific amounts had been declared to the Greek tax authorities. At the same time, he noted that the documents from Fight Impunity contain, as he said, no reference to Mauritania, Morocco, or Qatar.

Regarding Qatar: During my tenure, it did not receive visa waiver status

Referring to his relations with Qatar, the former Commissioner emphasized that during his tenure he was also responsible for the Schengen Area, within the framework of which requests from countries for visa-free travel for their citizens were reviewed.

According to him, Qatar had submitted such a request, but it was not approved during his tenure. As he noted, there is a document bearing his signature rejecting the granting of a visa waiver to Qatar. He added that the next European Commission, following the departure of his own, reexamined the issue and ultimately proceeded to approve the relevant proposal.

Regarding the European Commission: All conditions set were met

Dimitris Avramopoulos also cited recent statements by the spokesperson for the European Commission, arguing that they confirm the legality of his participation in Fight Impunity As he noted, the Commission had sought the opinion of the Independent Ethics Committee in February 2021, and the Committee publicly stated its position. Subsequently, according to him, the College of Commissioners approved his activity, setting specific conditions.

The former Commissioner maintained that, according to the Commission spokesperson, these conditions were fully complied with. He added that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had requested an investigation into whether she had any involvement in the Qatargate case, with all Commissioners responding in the negative in writing, as he said.