ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday expressed his satisfaction that Greece’s European Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas had been selected to manage the Sustainable Transport and Tourism portfolio for the European Commission, in a post on social media.

“Firstly, the title alone, which includes Tourism, is a great success for our country. We succeeded in persuading the European Commission that tourism deserves its own space in European policies. And its space is Greek, as Greece is a leader in sustainable tourism development and can contribute with proposals and initiatives in the direction of sustainable tourism and improvement of infrastructure,” Mitsotakis said.

He noted that the portfolio also highlighted Greece’s geopolitical importance and its strategic position as a gateway country for trade, energy and networks, both to the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe but also to the northeastern Mediterranean.

“It reflects the improvement in our country’s position and its important role for connectivity and transport, especially toward the wider Balkan area, a region that still needs to reinforce its infrastructure, from which our country will benefit, gaining an unobstructed connection to Central Europe, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.

This strengthens Greece’s crucial position in transport and energy routes to and from Europe but also its role as a bridge to the Middle East and North Africa,” the prime minister noted.

He said Greece’s portfolio would manage important projects and community funds, such as the Connecting Europe Facility for investments in energy, digital and transport networks. He also noted that mobility and connectivity could not overlook maritime transport, noting that the portfolio included the shipping sector, which was crucial for Greece as a global force in shipping.