EU Sustainable Transport and Tourism Portfolio Goes to Greece’s New Commissioner in Brussels

President Ursula von der Leyen presenting Apostolos Tzitzikostas as the new Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. Photo source: European Commission

Apostolos Tzitzikostas has been appointed Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, as announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, September 17.

Tzitzikostas was announced as Greece’s new Commissioner in Brussels by President von der Leyen during a press conference held to unveil the Commission’s new team.

“He is responsible for mobility of goods and people. These are essential sectors for our competitiveness but also for our transitions, for connecting people and driving local economies,” she said when referring to the new Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.

Elected to the Greek Parliament as a representative of Thessaloniki in 2007, Tsitzikostas was elected Regional Deputy Governor of the northern Greek city in 2010. He became governor of the Region of Central Macedonia in 2014 and was reelected to this position in 2019 and again in 2023. In November 2019, Tzitzikostas was elected President of the Union of Greek Regions (ENPE), a position to which he was reelected in February 2024.

The new Commission

President Ursula von der Leyen presenting the new European Commission team. Photo source: European Commission

According to Ursula von der Leyen, the new European Commission will consist by six Executive Vice-Presidents, four women, and two men. More specifically, they are:

– Teresa Ribera will be Executive Vice-President of a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. She will also oversee Competition policy. Her role will involve guiding efforts to keep Europe on track with the goals outlined in the European Green Deal, which aim to achieve both decarbonization and industrialization of the economy simultaneously.

– Henna Virkkunen will be the Executive Vice-President for Tech-Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. She will also be responsible for the portfolio on digital and frontier technologies. Virkkunen will be tasked with addressing both the internal and external aspects of security, strengthening the foundations of EU democracy—such as the rule of law—and protecting them from any threats.

– Stéphane Séjourné will be the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. He will also be responsible for the Industry, SMEs and the Single Market portfolio. He will guide the work to put in place the conditions for our companies to thrive – from investment and innovation to economic stability and trade and economic security.

– Kaja Kallas will be the High Representative and Vice-President. In an era of geostrategic rivalries and instability, the Union’s foreign and security policy must be designed with this reality in mind, and it must be more aligned with the EU’s interests.

– Roxana Mînzatu will have the responsibility for skills, education and culture, quality jobs and social rights. This is under the umbrella of demography. Roxana will notably lead on a Union of Skills and the European Pillar of Social Rights. She will focus on those areas which are crucial to unite the EU society.

– Raffaele Fitto will be Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms. He will be responsible for the portfolio dealing with cohesion policy, regional development and cities. His extensive experience will help modernize and strengthen the Union’s cohesion, investment and growth policies.

The team of Commissioners

The new European Commission team. Photo source: European Commission

The team of commissioners will include:

– Maroš Šefčovič: Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security

– Valdis Dombrovskis: Commissioner for Economy and Productivity

– Dubravka Šuica: Commissioner for the Mediterranean

– Olivér Várhely: Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare

– Wopke Hoekstra: Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth

– Andrius Kubilius: Commissioner for Defence and Space

– Marta Kos: Commissioner for Enlargement

– Jozef Síkela: Commissioner for International Partnerships

– Costas Kadis: Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans

– Maria Luís Albuquerque: Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investment Union

– Hadja Lahbib: Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management

– Magnus Brunner: Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

– Jessika Roswall: Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

– Piotr Serafin: Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration

– Dan Jørgensen: Commissioner for Energy and Housing

– Ekaterina Zaharieva: Commissioner for Research and Innovation

– Michael McGrath: Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law

– Apostolos Tzitzikostas: Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

– Christophe Hansen: Commissioner for Agriculture and Food

– Glenn Micallef: Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Culture, Youth and Sport