Apostolos Tzitzikostas’s nomination as the Greek EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism was approved yesterday by the European Parliament’s Transport Committee at midnight (Brussels time).
The portfolio confirmation received the mandatory two-thirds majority from committee members, with additional support from Environment Committee members invited to participate in the hearing. The only opposition came from MEPs in the far-right “Europe of Nations and Freedom” group, while MEPs from “The Left” abstained.
The European Commission is the EU’s institutional and executive body. Its members, known as commissioners, each manage a specific “portfolio.”
In his nearly three-hour hearing, Apostolos Tzitzikostas focused on two main priorities for the new European Commission: boosting the competitiveness of the European economy and tackling climate change.
He highlighted railway safety in Europe as a top priority, stating that the Tempi accident “should never have happened.”
He also pledged a “unified electronic booking and ticketing system” by 2025, explaining that Europeans “will be able to book train tickets from one country to another, or to a third country, with a simple click on their mobile, much like airline tickets today.”
