Controversy Surrounds New EU Transport Commissioner
Dear Member,
This is our weekly round-up from Greece.
A Greek politician, ruling New Democracy’s Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has been appointed EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, pending approval by the European Parliament. This happened despite ND’s record of handling the Tempi deadly train collision and pending railway safety issues.
The appointment prompted the reaction of the Tempi victims’ relatives. It also coincided with another near-miss train collision, which was avoided this week at the 11th hour only thanks to the good reflections of the train drivers and a train colliding on fallen trees. Tzitzikostas, however, would now be the man “to deliver a plan to connect EU capitals with high-speed rail.”
Transport is also shipping, so would the new Commissioner intervene for Greek shipowners who reportedly have been transferring Russian oil following EU sanctions?
A wolf to guard the sheep?
As reported this week, Greek Apostolos Tzitzikostas has been appointed European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. However, (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) the European Parliament has yet to approve his appointment.
Tzitzikostas, a politician with Greece’s governing right-wing party, New Democracy, has served as ND MP in the past. From 2013 to today, he has been serving as regional governor of Central Macedonia. He is also a former president of the European Committee of the Regions.
In July, Greek MEP Eliza Vozemberg, from the governing centre-right party New Democracy (EPP), was elected chair of the EU Parliament’s transport committee TRAN.
It could be a joke if it weren’t tragic. The transport portfolio was assigned to a politician from a governing party who has been accused (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) of attempting a cover-up for the deadly Tempi train collision, which claimed the lives of at least 57 people - and bearing significant responsibility for the lack of adequate safety infrastructure in the railway.
Let us just remind you that an investigation launched by the EU Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi revealed that the ‘717 contract’ had never been implemented. Experts suggest that the accident could have been avoided if a modern administration and signaling system had been in place. Kövesi said Greek authorities posed obstacles in “finding the truth and applying justice.”
In addition, the European Commission “identified” the lack of a permanent and independent (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) railway accident investigation body in Greece since 2019 as violating EU law, although no action was taken.
The trial to identify responsibilities over the Tempi accident is proceeding slowly.
“Politically, the Greek government may be interested in the transport portfolio because of a train crash in 2023 that killed 57 people – mainly youngsters – in Tempi, which has had a heavy political impact domestically,” Euractiv had reported (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) before Tzitzikostas' appointment.
Naftemporiki reported (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre): "The truth is that in the informal discussions in Strasbourg, there were some who commented on von der Leyen's choices: 'Transport went to a country that experienced a tragic train accident, and Migration to the country that supports the de facto abolition of the Schengen Agreement. You could call that ironic."
An accident and a near miss within a week
It was just last week (we included it in our ‘Read’ section) that a train collision was reportedly (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) avoided at the 11th hour. Thanks to automated safety systems? No, they are not in operation at the spot. It was only thanks to the professionalism of the train drivers who realized that the train was on the wrong track early enough (some say 1 km before the collision) to avoid a new tragedy.
Alternate Transport Minister Oikonomou attempted to justify (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) why the tele-administration was not operating there and claimed that "the safety mechanism worked; we didn’t rely on magic." The “safety mechanism” in this case is the train drivers alone.
The day following the near miss, injuries were narrowly avoided when a train on the Chalkida–Athens route collided with fallen trees (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), an incident that sparked outrage among train drivers. The train suffered some material damage and came to a halt.
Oikonomou now attempted a justification for this incident by talking about (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) “the daily challenges the railway system faces, with its endless kilometers of network."
Given all these, it is quite laughable that Tzitzikostas would be called a Commissioner “to deliver a plan (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to connect EU capitals with high-speed rail…”
Tzitzikostas' appointment triggered the angry reaction of Tempi victims’ relatives. Maria Karystianou, head of the Tempi victims’ relatives association, posted pictures of Tzitzikostas and Vozenberg under a title stating that through their EU posts relating to Transportation, they would try to cover up Tempi.
"The crime of Tempi has not yet been tried,” she wrote (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre). “New accomplices in the crime will continue to appear... This is to be expected. As we get closer to the truth, we resort to actions of panic and cover-up. In doing so, you continuously confirm your guilt and the insecurity you are trapped in."
Will Tzitzikostas ‘regulate’ Greek shipowners' questionable practices?
“When shipping companies and freight forwarders receive new regulatory designs from the EU in the coming years, it will have a Greek imprint,” Shipping Watch noted (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) before Tzitzikostas' appointment. It was added that this commissioner would stand to be “one of the key spearheads in shaping the framework of the shipping industry in Europe for the next half-decade.”
The publication also emphasized that “the shipping industry has been in the spotlight in Brussels on several occasions in recent years. Among the key issues have been the industry’s role in international oil trade after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, ETS, and the industry’s role in the EU’s green transition.”
It shall be remembered that Greek shipowners have reportedly transferred Russian oil, following EU sanctions on Moscow. For example, Forbes published an extensive report titled “Meet The Greek Shipping Billionaires Getting Rich Off Russian Oil (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).” “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Greece’s mighty shipping sector has continued to earn good money shipping Russian oil. But Greek shipowners have discovered an apparently even more lucrative source of revenue: selling the ships themselves to mysterious buyers linked to Russia,” Foreign Policy also reported (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) on the same topic.
It is also interesting what Corporate Europe Observatory recalled after reviewing the curricula of all newly appointed EU Commissioners: “Tzitzikostas, after being elected Governor of Central Macedonia in 2013, he invited representatives of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party to an annual parade and compared the fascist party to the socialist PASOK.” Also, in 2016, at the height of Europe’s migration crisis, “Tzitzikostas abstained from the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between Thessaloniki and the UNHCR to improve conditions for asylum seekers.”
These are all known to the Greek public, but Tzitzikostas is a new entry for Europe. Some analysis in the Greek press (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) also suggests that Kyriakos Mitsotakis did not select Tzitzikostas because the latter is pro-European (he opposes some of the block’s politics).
Still, he was instead aiming to neutralize a potential political rival. It emphasizes that Tzitzikostas expresses more traditional and conservative views, such as his opposition to the Prespa Agreement, and maintains strong ties with the Church.
Additionally, it is noted that Tzitzikostas played a crucial role in the European elections for New Democracy, particularly in Northern Greece, where he helped the party retain its support to a satisfactory degree.
Corporate Europe Observatory, however, detected issues (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) regarding other Commissioners’ appointments, including conflict of interest.
Whose rights does the EU guard?
Read
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Fire in Motor Oil refineries: 4 workers injured, evacuations (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
A Latest ‘Black Market’ Niche: Breast Milk (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
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Greece risks going thirsty amid water scarcity crisis (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Greece in panic Germany could send back up to 100,000 migrants (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
“No mass return of migrants to Greece,” says gov’t spokesman (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Thieves steal 17 laptops from Ministry in downtown Athens (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Greece to buy US Switchblade drones, sources tell Reuters (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
“Blue Flag” award removed from 6 beaches on Rhodes (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Plan Ahead
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The AL team
