The European Commission approved on Monday the candidacy of Apostolos Tzitzikostas for the portfolio of Sustainable Transport and Tourism for the next five years. After the conclusion of Tzitzikostas’ hearing in the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, which lasted more than three hours, the coordinators of the political groups …
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Apostolos Tzitzikostas appointed EU Commissioner for Transport & Tourism
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that the “sustainable transport and tourism” portfolio has been assigned to Greece’s European Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas. During a press conference after a meeting with the presidents of the political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Commission President said that …
Read More »Commissioner Johansson: Greece has made key progress on migration issue
Greece has made noteworthy steps toward a contemporary management of the migration issue, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said in Athens on Monday, during a migration event at the related Greek ministry. Johansson had met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the ministry earlier in the day. In …
Read More »Ex EU Commissioner says she hopes “Europe won’t become dark-skinned”
“What I will wish for in 100 years is that Europe does not become dark-skinned by force.” This shocking statement was not made by some far-right politician but by former PASOK MP, minister, and European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (1999-2004), Anna Diamantopoulou. She stunned some of …
Read More »EU Agriculture Commissioner visits flooded Thessaly (video)
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski on Thursday visited areas of Thessaly affected by the flooding caused by the destructive storms, Daniel and Elias. Following an invitation by Rural Development and Foods Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, Wojciechowski flew with a helicopter over the flooded areas in Thessaly, visited farms and talked …
Read More »EU Commissioner urges full investigation into alleged migrants’ pushback in Greece.
The European Commission has called on Greek authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into fresh allegations of illegal migrant deportations, stated Ylva Johansson, the EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner, on Monday. Video footage published by the New York Times on Friday shows the Greek Coast Guard rounding up asylum …
Read More »EU Commissioner tells Greece: Stop “violent” migrants’ deportations or risk losing funds
The European Union’s top migration official told Greece on Thursday to stop “violent” deportations of migrants or risk losing funds. After becoming one of the main destination points during the migration crisis of 2015, Athens has hardened its policy in the past year by increasing land and sea patrols, extending …
Read More »EU commissioner Johansson met with with protests while visiting camps on Lesvos and Samos
The visit of EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on the island of Lesvos and Samos was met with protests by both locals and refugees. As the Commissioner visited the camps to discuss the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and funding to Greece, charities warned that the …
Read More »“Migrants must be released from detention,” says CoE Human Rights Commissioner
Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, is demanding that the national governments of the European Union release migrants from detention and back into the general population as a coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measure. In a statement last week, Mijatovic said that EC member states should “review the …
Read More »EU Health Commissioner in outrage against smoking Greek Health Minister
European Commissioner for Health Vytenis Andriukaitis was outraged at Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis for disregarding legislation banning smoking in public places. Speaking on the sidelines of an event marking World Cancer Day at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on Athens’s southern coast on Monday, Andriukaitis said that he …
Read More »EU Commissioner Hahn speaks of “border restructure between Greece and Albania”
Are Greece and Albania planning to restructure their borders? EU-Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, apparently thinks so. Speaking at a panel of a think tank in on Tuesday, about the need of reaching agreement in the Balkans, Hahn mentioned an absolutely unacceptable term: “border restructure between Greece and Albania.” Specifically …
Read More »German EU Commissioner Oettinger ‘teaches’ European voters what to vote
The hell broke out on Tuesday afternoon, when European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources. Gunther Oettinger from German CDU claimed that “European voters should not vote for right populists or left parties.” Reason for this unprecedented ‘teaching’ was the political turmoil in Italy and the prospect of new elections. …
Read More »EU Commissioner warns “Refugee arrivals in Greece increased nine times in March 2018”
The European Union Commissioner for Migration has warned that Greece is receiving more and more refugees from Turkey this year, pinpointing the need for more budget and personnel to police the borders. Commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said on Wednesday that the arrivals in Greece had increased nine times in March this …
Read More »Greece, FYROM tell EU Commissioner Hahn to mind his own business
Top officials from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia urged EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn to mind his own business and to not interfere in things he does not understand. A day before Macedonia name talks resumed in Vienna on Wednesday, Hahn said he was optimistic that …
Read More »Novartis: EU Commissioner to file lawsuit to have “protection status” of witness lifted
EU Migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said that he will file a lawsuit to Greece’s Supreme Court (Arios Pagos) and also a request to lift the protection status of one of the “protected witnesses” whose testimony has involved the name of former Health Minister in Novartis bribery case. In a press …
Read More »EU Commissioner Avramopoulos says “sick minds invented” the Novartis bribery case
European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has said that he will brief the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, his fellow Commissioners and other EU Institutions on the Novartis case in a “documented and analytical manner,” as he said. His name is among the ten names of …
Read More »EU Migration Commissioner attacks Tusk’s quotas plans as “anti-European” and “unacceptable”
The European Commission has described as “unacceptable” plans by Donald Tusk, the European Council president, to scrap mandatory quotas on relocating asylum seekers across the EU. Speaking in Strasbourg on Tuesday, EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, said a note put forward by Tusk ahead of an EU summit is anti-European. …
Read More »Commissioner Moscovici claims Greeks can live on ‘confidence’ alone
EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici confuses the dramatic sacrifices the Greek were enforced to make with lenders’ austerity measures. “Let’s continue the good work,” Moscovici cheered while visiting Athens on this warm July Tuesday inside his bubble made in Brussels. “Now is the time to plan the successful conclusion of the …
Read More »EU Migration Commissioner urges NGOs to manage funds with transparency
EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos urged non-governmental organizations involved in the care of refugees and migrants to manage funds with more transparency. “NGOs must manage available funds with transparency,” Avramopoulos said on Wednesday and called on international organizations operating in the country “to step up their efforts to provide immediate …
Read More »Chios: Far-right extremist works as driver to EU “Commissioner” for Refugees
A man close to far-rights and known for violent actions against refugees,migrants and journalists on the island of Chios was hired as a driver for Maarten Verwey, the Dutch ‘commissioner‘ responsible for the implementation of the EU Turkey deal. The case was disclosed, when a local shot a picture outside …
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