Parliament: vote on lifting Avramopoulos's immunity

The plenary of the Greek Parliament votes on Thursday, September 17, 2026, on lifting the parliamentary immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos, a New Democracy MP and former European Commissioner, following a request from Belgian judicial authorities as part of the Qatargate investigation. The parliamentary Ethics Committee had already unanimously recommended lifting the immunity, according to Protothema, while the request for lifting Avramopoulos’ immunity had originally been filed by the MP himself, through a memorandum to committee members. Vima reports that approval from the plenary is considered essentially certain, given the unanimous recommendation and the MP’s personal request.

The European arrest warrant was issued by Belgian judicial authorities and concerns, according to information reported by Vima, alleged participation in a criminal organization and money laundering from criminal activity. The investigation is linked to Avramopoulos’ participation as an honorary member on the board of directors of the NGO Fight Impunity, an organization that was at the center of the Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament. Lifting immunity is a purely procedural step that allows judicial investigation of the case and does not constitute a finding of guilt or prejudge the outcome of any judicial proceeding. Avramopoulos has categorically rejected any involvement, arguing that his participation in the organization was lawful and that any fees he received had been declared and taxed normally.

In the memorandum he submitted to the Ethics Committee, as reported by Protothema, the former commissioner stressed that “I have no connection whatsoever with the illegal acts described in the European arrest warrant” and stated that he is not invoking his parliamentary immunity to avoid investigation of the case, nor is he requesting preferential treatment. He also noted that his initial non-response to a summons from Belgian authorities in 2025 did not express an intention to evade justice, but was based on legal advice he had received at that time. Following the plenary decision, the file is expected to return, through the prescribed institutional procedure, to the Prosecutor’s Office of Athens Court of Appeal, paving the way for the continuation of the judicial proceeding concerning the Belgian warrant.

According to information from Vima, it is not ruled out that Avramopoulos himself could travel to Brussels and place himself at the disposal of Belgian authorities, a move that could expedite the process, while the chances of him delivering a speech before the plenary are considered limited, as in recent years his public interventions have been minimal. Until the time of writing this article, the result of the vote had not yet been announced. The case is part of the broader Qatargate scandal, which has repeatedly occupied Greek political news, with new developments expected in the coming period both in Athens and in Brussels.