Irene Anastassopoulou | Journalist, Deutsche Welle

Graduate from the Law School of Athens, Irene studied Radio and Television in the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and then obtained the Diploma of the Institut Français de Presse at the University of Paris ΙI before. She got a Master Degree in the Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Paris II (Sorbonne). Irene has also followed courses at the Institut für Rundfunkrecht at the University of Cologne in Germany.

Irene joined the Greek Department of the Deutsche Welle in 1984 as freelancer and then in 1991 on until today as permanent editor.

Irene started her professional carrier in Germany as a correspondent for the Greek State Radio ERA, she was then accredited correspondent of the Greek TV Channel Antenna and from 2000 to 2002 Chief Editor of the TV Channel Tempo. Her next position was in the radiostation SKAI, in Athens and the newspaper KATHIMERINI (Skai Group).

From 2003 until 2013 Irene was offering her services at the Greek Parliament TV station where she had her own weekly emission on International and Greek political affairs.

Her professional interests drove Irene to places like Iraq, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Albania, North Macedonia, Ruanda, Kap Verde and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Irene has reported extensively on delicate subjects like the uranium enriched bombs used during the second Iraq War, the Ruanda genocide, the war in Tetovo, the ISAF in Kabul, the Israeli military operations in Jenin, the events in Bethlehem during the 2nd Intifada. Irene has also extensively researched on Stasi Archives in connection with the Greek Terrorist organization “17 November”, the terrorist Carlos and Johannes Weinrich. Irene has realized two documentaries on «10 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall», and on the SOS Children Villages in Athens, which was presented at the 12th Filmfestival of Thessaloniki in 2010.

Irene is particularly proud of the interviews she realized among others with Jasser Arafat (2004), the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud (2006), Joschka Fischer (2001), Romano Prodi (2002), Mohammed el Baradei (2003), Hans Blix (2003), Hans Gert Pottering (2008), Josef Daul (2008), Magdalena Kopp (2001), the President of North Macedonia Kiro Gligorow (1994), the Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha (2003), Norbert Lammert (2009, 2014), Martin Schulz (2018) and Jorge Arreaza (2018) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela (2018).

Irene is a professional piano player and a prominent member of the Deutsche Welle Choir.

She is married and has 2 children.