The proposed Greek Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas was approved for the portfolio of Sustainable Transport and Tourism for the next five years in the European Commission.
Following Mr Tzitzikostas’ three-hour hearing before the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism, the coordinators of the political groups met to assess his candidacy.
According to sources, the far-right political group in the European Parliament, “Europe of Nations and Freedom,” which includes the German AfD party, voted against Mr Tzitzikostas’ candidacy, while the European Left abstained.
The Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, and New Democracy MEP Eliza Vozemberg, commented on social media that “the process was transparent and democratic.”
Hearing Disrupted Twice Due to Protests by Greek MEPs Over the 57 Victims of the Tempi Tragedy
The hearing for the designated Greek Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas before the European Parliament’s Transport Committee was interrupted twice due to protests by two Greek MEPs concerning the Tempi train disaster.
Maria Zacharia, an MEP from the Freedom Course party, was required to leave the room after failing to comply with requests from the committee’s chair, New Democracy MEP Eliza Vozemberg, to stop distributing papers to committee members during the hearing. Ms Zacharia was distributing a two-page document protesting the tragic Tempi disaster, which claimed 57 lives, and urging members to reject the Greek Commissioner. She was calmly escorted out after declaring that it was shameful for this to happen given the 57 victims.
Shortly after, MEP Konstantinos Papadakis from the Communist Party of Greece protested (off-mic) about the Tempi tragedy and the 57 victims. Committee chair Eliza Vozemberg called him to order. It is noted that Mr Papadakis, as an “Unregistered” MEP, does not have speaking rights during the Commissioner’s hearing, although he is a member of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee.
Source: ANA-MPA [translated]
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