Greece Names Fmr Committee Of Regions Pres. As Commission Nominee

Greece has announced the nomination of Apostolos Tzitzkostas as its next European Commissioner, meaning that European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas will not be reappointed. Tzitzkostas, hailing from PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right New Democracy, has served as Regional Governor of Central Macedonia since 2013 and President of the European Committee of the Regions 2020-22.

• Mitsotakis, who was a vocal cheeleader for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's second term, said in July that Greece was deserving of a senior Commission portfolio. "I would certainly like a portfolio that highlights on the one hand the progress that Greece has made economically, but also Greece’s sort of strategic position at the southeastern flank of Europe and of NATO,”
• Von der Leyen is already facing something of a rebuttal to her call for each EU member state to nominate both a man and a woman for their portfolio role, aiming for a gender-balanced Commission. However, most countries have rejected this call, instead either re-nominating their incumbent or presenting a single new name.
• This is unlikely due to a rejection of VdL's stated equality aims, but more around retaining control of which individual from their country is appointed rather than handing the choice to the Commission President.