Apostolos Tsitsikostas. Photo: Francois Walschaerts/AFP 2023
Greece’s conservative executive has announced it is nominating Apostolos Tsitsikostas, the governor of the Central Macedonia region, to be a commissioner in the new European executive led by Ursula von der Leyen.
The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has already informed the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about this decision, as the newspaper Kathimerini writes. This means that Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission in the previous legislature (2019-2024), will leave his post.
The choice of Tsitsikostas is a symbolic step to “underline the importance of Macedonia and northern Greece for Europe,” government spokesman Pavlo Marinakis said. The appointment is part of Greece’s broader strategy to strengthen the role of the northern regions in European affairs.
Despite Ursula von der Leyen’s request to member states to appoint one man and one woman to support gender parity in the European Commission, Greece nominated only Tsitsikostas. His candidacy highlights his experience as President of the Union of Regions of Greece and the European Committee of the Regions.
