MR Apostolos Tzitzikostas of Greece has been confirmed as Europe’s commissioner of sustainable transport and tourism. He is expected to take up office on December 1.
The European Parliament voted to approve all of the selections for the new College of Commissioners made by European Commission (EC) president, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, on November 27.
Ahead of the vote, Von der Leyen address the Parliament and stated that one of the three goals for the commission over the next five years is to deliver decarbonisation and to improve Europe’s competitiveness. She emphasised the role that Tzitzikostas will play in this work.
“His vast experience of European regions will be invaluable to develop connectivity,” Von der Leyen said.
Tzitzikostas offered his own vision for rail during a hearing before the Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee (Tran) on November 4. Among the priorities is completing the TEN-T network by the existing deadlines and presenting a plan to connect EU capitals and large cities by high-speed rail and night trains.
CER response
The Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Companies (CER) welcomed confirmation of Tzitzikostas and the wider College of Commissioners, stating that the European rail sector stands ready to work with and support the new college.
“A new college with a new mandate is a new opportunity for Europe to choose rail and increase modal shift towards sustainable mobility and tourism and accelerate the roll-out of trans-European infrastructure and digital technologies such as ERTMS and the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC), says Mr Alberto Mazzola, CER executive director.
“We greatly look forward to the eagerly anticipated and long called-for master plan for high-speed rail. The revision of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Regulation [due in 2026] will be an opportunity to recognise the importance of carbon avoidance and to channel ETS revenues to rail and sustainable transport.”
