Tzitzikostas at EU Transport Council: Three messages and five key issues

At the opening of the Council meeting, Tzitzikostas referred to the "central role of transport in achieving the key objectives of enhancing competitiveness, climate neutrality, increasing security and tackling social inequalities". "Improving infrastructure and transport in the EU is a collective responsibility," he stressed. 

Tzitzikostas said that the priorities of his mandate, as he described them during his hearing in the European Parliament, remain "unchanged". Addressing the transport ministers, he referred to "three messages" as noted in a relevant statement:

1. "We must seize common opportunities and address common challenges in transport and tourism," he said, explaining that "both these sectors can bring Europe closer to its citizens because they affect their daily lives.

2. "During our term of office," continued Tzitzikostas, "we will define the resources available to Europe until the middle of the next decade and this will give us the opportunity to define both our objectives and the scope to take initiatives and implement projects."

3. "I firmly believe in the power of cooperation", he said, describing the "third message", as "a former regional governor and MP, I know that everything is possible in politics only through cooperation and mutual trust".  And "this is the relationship I want to create with each of you," he said. 

Tzitzikostas also announced that his first official visit as commissioner to an EU country will be to Poland, which will have from 2025

Presidency of the Council of the EU from 2025. He stressed that he will visit all 27 EU member states. 

According to the same statement, Tzitzikostas addressed five main issues, which were discussed by the ministers. These are road safety, passenger rights, combined transport, resilience of infrastructure, addressing the lack of adequate access to transport.

AA