On Monday 4 November, the Greek candidate Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas convinced MEPs on the Committees on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) and for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) that he was fit to take on the role of European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
Very prepared and very factual, he did not dodge any questions. “I’m not going to over-promise today, credibility is about actions, not words”, he said. “Safety will be my number one priority; we have the tools to solve this problem, but they are not being applied”, he deplored. And to guarantee: “I will work with Member States to ensure that they apply the rules, and I will help all Member States to take all actions needed to minimise the risk of accidents”.
Sustainability and competitiveness. In line with the title of his portfolio, Mr Tzitzikóstas emphasised the sustainable aspect and the importance of maintaining the objectives of the ‘Fit for 55’ package in favour of the environment. “Competitiveness must be based on sustainability, and we need to implement the legislation that has already been adopted and help businesses”, he said.
Asked by Roman Haider (PfE, Austrian) about the difficulties faced by automotive manufacturers, particularly in Germany, Mr Tzitzikóstas remained firm. “The rules are clear, they were established years ago, and the sector has 11 years left to comply with them”, stressed the Commissioner-designate. In his view, the automotive sector needs to make the transition to electrification by creating a market and making electric vehicles affordable. “The EU will have a leading role in this sector, and we need to change our model if we are to survive”, he said. The candidate for the post of Commissioner criticised the Chinese government’s subsidies for electric vehicle manufacturers (see EUROPE 13514/2).
He announced his intention to present an ‘Investment Plan for Sustainable Transport’ to increase investment in solutions to decarbonise transport, including research and development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). In doing so, he hopes to provide “clarity”.
Asked about the flaws in the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and carbon leakage (see EUROPE 13475/8), Mr Tzitzikóstas replied that he was taking the issue very seriously. He has committed to working with the Commissioner for Climate. “We have to take global measures, and I will take these issues to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)”, he promised. The Commissioner-designate suggested extending the list of ports that cannot be considered as a stopover, such as Tangiers and Port Said, by adding more southern Mediterranean ports to the list until these problems are resolved on a larger scale. He will also present a strategy for ports to make this industry climate-friendly.
Mr Tzitzikóstas pledged as well his support for less polluting means of transport, such as the bicycle industry, inland waterways and rail transport. He referred to the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, in which support for the rail sector is cited as one of the tools for strengthening the internal market and competitiveness. “It’s a top priority”, he said. The Commissioner-designate also mentioned the promotion of modal shift and the need for support measures to ensure a level playing field between the different modes of transport.
Connectivity and territorial cohesion. The former President of the European Committee of the Regions between 2020 and 2022 has not forgotten his former role. “If my appointment is confirmed, I plan to introduce by 2025 a single booking and ticketing plan across Europe”, he said. The idea would be to have a single ticket for cross-border rail travel, as is already the case for air travel. Multimodality will therefore have to be strengthened and passenger rights modified to protect them.
Mr Tzitzikóstas also plans to connect EU capitals with high speed rail. “My goal is to have adequate connection for every region and every corner of the EU”, he explained. His reasoning: “With SAF funding and cohesion funding, my aim is to leave no one behind in the EU transport project”.
Solidarity with Ukraine. The Commissioner-designate expressed his support for Ukraine and Moldova and for the sanctions against Russia. He said that he took the issue of shadow fleets seriously. Part of his port strategy will be dedicated to combating the influence of third countries. “We have to be very careful”, he warned. He emphasised port independence, environmental resilience and the supply chain for European ports.
In addition, Mr Tzitzikóstas considered connectivity between Ukraine and the rest of the EU and the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to be a top priority ". He alluded to the problems of rail gauges for high-speed trains, which are not the same in all Member States, and the very costly investment that this entails. “Completing the TEN-T requires €515 billion, and this will be discussed in the next Multiannual Financial Framework”, he stressed.
Tourism. Mr Tzitzikóstas was delighted to be the first Commissioner to officially include tourism among his responsibilities. “Europe is the world’s leading tourist destination, and we need to ensure that tourists continue to flock here and that the sector prospers”, he stressed. He drew on his experience as a former governor of the Macedonia region: “We’ve done a lot of work, not only on how to promote this destination, but also on flow management”. After consulting the sector, he wants to present a strategy for sustainable tourism.
The Commissioner-designate also raised the issue of funding for the sector, in particular the need for a more targeted budget line in the new Multiannual Financial Framework, whereas tourism is currently funded by a number of different programmes. “Financing is not enough, and it needs to be simplified, because small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have difficulty finding and accessing this financing”, he pleaded. In particular, this funding could enable them to develop digitalisation. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)