AVRAMOPOULOS: Dimitris Avramopoulos’s remarks—and especially his tone—during yesterday’s interview on SKAI regarding his involvement in Qatargate did not sit well at the Maximos Mansion, where officials have been keeping their distance from the former European Commissioner from the very beginning.
Statements such as “whatever is being attributed to me is nonsense” and “I won’t apologize to any of those jerks” did not sit well with the prime minister’s staff, nor, of course, did the barbs directed at Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis (that he kept the matter in his drawer for three days).
“Within 24 hours, the warrant was forwarded to the prosecutor, and the entire legal process is being followed. No minister—and in this case, the Minister of Citizen Protection—could or does have any involvement in this European arrest warrant,” emphasized government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis (on OREN), clearly distancing himself from Mr. Avramopoulos, whom sources within the Ministry of Citizen Protection have also “dismissed.”
According to these sources, the warrant was forwarded within 24 hours to the competent prosecutor, as is standard procedure in every case involving the execution of a European arrest warrant.
Mr. Marinakis took another jab at the former minister: “When the authorities summon you, you must respond, no matter how much it may seem to us that a case doesn’t hold water.”
As government officials put it, “We’ll have to wait and see how the case unfolds and whether what he’s saying—which sounds and seems reasonable—is confirmed.”
Yes, but…
KARISTIAOU: There’s no such thing as politics without turmoil, and Maria Karistianou, just one month after founding her party, is beginning to realize this.
The worst part for her is that the problem stems from within, as it has become known that expert Vasilis Kokotsakis (who even complained that the movement had turned into a “personal political venture”) and retired Air Force General Athanasios Papanikolaou had left the “Hope for Democracy” movement.
Maria of Tempi, in her first reaction following this unpleasant turn of events, referred in a post on her personal Facebook account to “eager individuals” attempting to divide the movement’s unity and to “deceitful motives, albeit sometimes disguised”.
In any case, her party’s latest poll results do not show much momentum, something that should be investigated by the Hope leadership, although its officials insist on remaining optimistic:
“In the face of this war, we press on,” they say.
ENERGY: The plan for the “ARGO” floating LNG terminal, which Mediterranean Gas was promoting in the Pagasetic Gulf, should now be considered a thing of the past.
In a decision dated June 24, 2026, the Ministry of Environment and Energy informed the company that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) dossier regarding the installation and operation of the project in the Gulf of Volos has been rejected.
The decision, signed by the Ministry’s Director General of Environmental Policy, states that “based on the aforementioned negative opinions, it appears that the project’s negative environmental impacts are extremely significant even after the provision of specific conditions and restrictions, as well as after their mitigation.”
This development was expected, according to those who have been following the case for years. This is due both to the barrage of negative opinions—such as those from the Thessaly Water Directorate and the Port Planning and Development Committee (ESAL)—and to the reactions from the local community, which, as the Ministry of Environment and Energy’s decision states “relate primarily to issues of unsuitable site selection (proximity to settlements, land-use incompatibility, Seveso risks and seismic activity) and the environmental impact on the enclosed Pagasetic Gulf (marine ecosystem, air pollution, fishing/tourism).”
INTRUM: In a post on LinkedIn yesterday, the company was quick to welcome the legislative amendment regarding Katseli Law loans, noting that “it provides the necessary clarifications and facilitates the faster implementation of the decision.”
Intrum states that “we are already taking the necessary steps for its operational implementation so that eligible borrowers can benefit as soon as possible.”
It adds that “80% of our results come from consensual solutions, while our approval rates on the Out-of-Court Mechanism platform exceed 90%.”
KRI KRI: The Serres-based dairy company’s stock broke through the 30-euro barrier and set a new all-time high. In fact, it now belongs to the stock market’s “unicorn” club, as its market capitalization has surpassed one billion euros.
The stock closed at 30.3 euros, up 4.48%, with trading volume reaching 1.23 million euros. Its return over the last six months stands at 52%.
COCA COLA: The largest company by market capitalization listed on the Athens Stock Exchange posted its third consecutive session of gains, settling at 55 euros—just 35 cents below its year-to-date high set on February 24.
Cumulative gains from the stock’s three-day run amount to 5.7%, while its quarterly return exceeds 12%. It is now very close to the target price set by Deutsche Bank (at 56 euros), which considers the group one of the top picks in the European beverage sector.
PPA-PPA: The shipping segment took center stage yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange, as the looming easing of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices to a four-month low (U.S. WTI fell below $70) and related stocks attracting increased buying interest.
The PPA stock took center stage, with expectations of an imminent increase in cargo traffic sending the stock to a seven-month high of 42 euros, a 7.28% jump.
However, it remains nearly 15% below the high it recorded last June, at 49.7 euros, and has been trending sideways-downward almost since the start of the war in Iran.
Given, however, that the surge in the stock’s price occurred amid increased trading volume—shares worth 667,000 euros changed hands—some market participants are speculating that the major shareholder, COSCO, is buying shares.
The Port of Thessaloniki also posted significant gains, with PPA shares closing up 1% at 39 euros.
YKNOT shares were also among the top performers, closing with gains of nearly 5.5% at 1.445 euros. Safe Bulkers shares also closed at 6.245 euros, up nearly 1%.
DOTSOFT: With an eye on the process of moving to the Main Market of the Athens Stock Exchange, Diorama (DECA) acquired a 40% stake in the listed company.
The major shareholders, including Giuseppe Gianno, sold part of their stake to bring a strong investor group into the company. Gianno, after all, is an old acquaintance of DECA’s George Papoutsis.
P.S.: Dotsoft’s shareholder register posted yesterday on the Euronext Athens website—which, including the 40% acquired by Diorama, brought the total stake held by major shareholders to 128.9%—will be left unaddressed by this column…
SKAI: The aggressive strategy reportedly being pursued recently by the SKAI Group in the field of sports television rights—submitting particularly high bids for a series of competitions and teams—is sparking intense debate in the media market.
Following the acquisition of the rights to the Greek Cup and the Super Cup, the network has also made aggressive moves for other sports properties.
Among these are the Basket League/GBL (which it secured yesterday) and Heraklis FC, for which it offered amounts that market analysts describe as particularly high given the current conditions for the commercial exploitation of these rights.
In the case of the Greek Cup and the Super Cup, available market data indicate that the total package of television rights and commercial/sponsorship exploitation will generate more than 13 million euros for the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) over a three-year period. This is significantly higher than the levels of previous agreements.
Similarly, reports have emerged regarding an agreement with Stoiximan GBL running through 2029, with a total fee approaching 21 million euros for three seasons.
The key question raised by market executives concerns the business model behind these moves. The plan is apparently linked to the creation of a new sports/streaming platform.
However, SKAI does not yet have a mature subscription platform with an established customer base. So the critical question is whether the new content can generate sufficient subscription, advertising, and sponsorship revenue to justify the high bids.
SKAI II: In its most recently published fiscal year (2024), the EIDISEIS DOT COM group reported revenue of 66.85 million euros and a net loss of 7.70 million euros, while the parent company posted a net loss of 8.11 million euros. Since then, it has carried out a capital increase of 4.24 million euros and secured a bond loan of 16.5 million euros.
However, these measures do not dispel concerns regarding the size of the new commitments, the amortization period for sports rights, and their impact on future financial results.
Industry insiders cite the example of the recent crisis in France, where the French league’s partnership with the DAZN platform led to intense conflicts over financial terms and the commercial performance of the rights.
This highlights the risks that arise when financial projections are not borne out by market realities.
At the same time, veteran figures in Greek soccer recall that in the late 2000s, SKAI had invested significant sums to acquire the broadcasting rights for a Super League match in the Saturday afternoon time slot for three years.
However, according to the same sources, SKAI backed out of the agreement after one year. What is certain is that after just one season (2009–2010), NOVA acquired the rights.
P.S.: Its agreement with Super League 2 for the 2024–25 season had also sparked controversy. At that time, league officials (as well as One Channel, which was also vying for the rights) reacted strongly, criticizing the Marcekos administration for the way the agreement was negotiated and implemented. Among other things, SL 2 ultimately ended up without a naming rights sponsor.