The non-governmental organization Fight Impunity is associated with the corruption scandal surrounding the European Parliament. Until recently, prominent EU figures were represented on the honorary board of the NGO, including the former Interior Commissioner Avramopoulos. The Commission now wants to question him about it.
Because of possible conflicts of interest, the former EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has to face questions from the EU Commission in the corruption scandal involving the European Parliament. It is about his work in the honorary presidency of the non-governmental organization Fight Impunity, which in turn is associated with the scandal. The EU Commission will write to the Greeks asking for further information on the extent to which he has complied with the requirements for his activities under the mandate, said a spokesman.
The background to this is that the former interior commissioner had taken on a post in the organization's honorary presidency during a so-called cooling-off phase after his mandate. According to its own statements, the EU Commission approved the post on February 3, 2021. The President of Fight Impunity is the former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who was arrested in Belgium in connection with the investigation into possible influence from abroad on political decisions of the European Parliament is.
The EU Commission is now primarily concerned with meetings between Avramopoulos and incumbent EU Commissioners in November 2021. An internal check has shown that these were only courtesy visits, said the spokesman. At none of these meetings did he represent the NGO Fight Impunity. However, they wanted to know from Avramopoulos how closely he represented the NGO between the post's approval and the end of his cool-down period.
In addition to Avramopoulos, former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and former French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve were also on Fight Impunity's honorary presidency. Mogherini only accepted the post after her cooling off period. This grace period is currently two years for former EU commissioners.
Avramopoulos resigned from his post following reports of Fight Immunity's involvement in the corruption scandal. According to him, so did Mogherini and Cazeneuve. With regard to the non-governmental organization No Peace Without Justice, which is also said to be involved in the scandal, the spokesman for the EU Commission said that the agency had stopped all payments to the organization.
