THESSALONIKI – In the aftermath of the 2023 head-on train collision that killed 57 people and brought critics claiming a coverup, Greece is expected to get the post of European Commissioner for Transport with its nominee Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

That was reported by POLITICO which said that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wanted a key portfolio for Greece after helping his ally Usrula von der Leyen get a second five-year term as Commission President.

“Overseeing the transport portfolio can be key to helping Greece’s shipping industry. If Transport alone is not enough to please Mitsotakis, Tzitzikostas could become responsible for regional development, especially given his experience in the European Committee of the Regions,” the news site said.

With Member of the European Parliament Eliza Vozemberg – who, like Tzitzikostas is from the ruling New Democracy – heading that body’s Transport Committee, Greece could take control of transport in the European Union.

The news site earlier said that Tzitzikostas was in line for the spot but that it could draw resistance because critics had called for the EU to intervene further over the train crash investigation that has largely been kept secret.

Tzitzikostas could face blistering questions over the tragedy, as well as the 2023 sinking of a refugee ship in international waters near Greece, which survivors said was caused by the Coast Guard trying to tow it further out to sea, which was denied.

Tzitzikostas is the Central Macedonia Regional Governor and while the post is supposed to be impartial could be faced with trying to defend the government over the train crash that saw then Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resign.

Karamanlis quit after admitting he hadn’t fully implemented European Union funded safety projects, but escaped being charged despite what critics said was a European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO) chief Laura Kövesi had – before the accident – began an investigation into a 2014 contract for the reconstruction and upgrade of the signaling system and remote control on Greek trains.

Kövesi said Greek authorities were posing obstacles in “finding the truth and applying justice” and sent a letter to the EU Commission stating that the provision in Greece’s constitution that provides ministers with immunity should change, but it wasn’t.

The European Commission also said it noted that Greece lacked a permanent and independent railway accident investigation body in Greece since 2019 that violated European Union law but nothing was done about it.

“The unanswered questions about the Tempi accident and Greece’s poor train infrastructure may put Tzitzikostas in a politically uncomfortable position,” the report said, as he also is aligned closely with Mitsotakis.

“Some may raise doubts over whether Greece can handle transport at the EU level as, when it comes to trains, the country did not do its homework despite having received EU funding to modernize its railways,” it added.

Maria Karystianou, who is a representative of the parents of the crash victims – noting New Democracy’s Vozemberg position, said that, “After the deadliest train accident in Europe (…)  those who are guilty take over the relevant transport portfolio.”

The report said that Cypriot Costas Kadis is expected to be appointed as Commissioner for the Mediterranean, a newly created position that Cyprus lobbied for while Turkey is drilling in Cypriot waters for energy.