Greece will recommend the Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, for the position of Commissioner in the 2024-29 Commission, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said on Thursday during a press briefing.
“Apostolos Tzitzikostas is a person with experience in institutional roles both in Greece and in Europe where he was elected president of the European Committee of the Regions in 2020,” Marinakis said.
“It is a political choice which highlights the importance of Macedonia and Northern Greece for Europe as a region with a strategic position, connectivity and geopolitical importance both for the Balkans and Southeastern Europe,” he added.
Tzitzikostas: From Macedonia to Brussels
Tzitzikostas, a 45-year-old economist and political scion – his late father was an MP and minister – has been governor of Central Macedonia since January 2013, when he replaced his predecessor, Panagiotis Psomiadis, who had been convicted of dereliction of duty.
The governor is popular in Central Macedonia, where the ruling New Democracy suffered significant losses to the far-right in the June 9 elections for the European Parliament. Tzitzikostas is known to be popular with the kind of populist right supporters who defected from New Democracy.
Tzitzikostas studied International Politics and Diplomacy at Georgetown University and worked at the office of the Chair of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Following his graduation in Public Policy and Economics at the University College of London, he returned to Greece and in 2001 he created his own company on the field of production, processing and standardization of dairy products.
He gradually rose in the ranks of the governing New Democracy party. He was one of the four candidates in the 2015 New Democracy leadership election. He reached the third place behind Evangelos Meimarakis (first place) and Kyriakos Mitsotakis (second place).
Commissioners from 27 EU countries
The Commission is composed of the College of Commissioners from 27 EU countries. Together, the 27 Members of the College are the Commission’s political leadership during a 5-year term. They are assigned responsibility for specific policy areas by the President, Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen secured a second term as European Commission President last month, winning a clear victory in the European Parliament by 41 votes.
The German Christian Democrat will now resume her role as head of the EU’s lawmaking and enforcement body until 2029. “I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the trust of all MEPs that voted for me,” she tweeted minutes after the results.
The win strengthens von der Leyen’s reputation as one of the most important commission presidents in the history of the EU. The politician has been praised for her early support for Ukraine and her cutting-edge response to the pandemic.
However, she has also faced criticism for relying too heavily on a small group of advisers and evading scrutiny.
