Jockeying for a top EU job

Greece is looking for an important portfolio in the new European Commission, to be headed again by Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen.

“I would certainly like a portfolio that highlights on the one hand the progress that Greece has made economically, but also Greece’s sort of strategic position at the southeastern flank of Europe and of NATO,” Mitsotakis told news site Politico.eu.

Mitsotakis also believes he is due a reward for the support he showed von der Leyen, a fellow European Popular Party (center-right) politician in her effort to secure her reappointment.

Kathimerini understands that the main portfolios Greece would be interested in are Agriculture, Defense and the new Housing position. But Housing, apparently, has been promised to the socialists, Defense is considered by others in the EU as too big for Greece’s boots – and, anyway, Poland is said to be interested – and Agriculture could be a possibility, although Poland, a far more important farm producer, is also said to be in the running if it cannot secure Defense. A new portfolio, Mediterranean Region, which would likely include Migration, is a tantalizing possibility, as is Transport, for which Cyprus has also expressed an interest. In the end the two countries may end up splitting these two portfolios.

“I presume that eventually it will be a Mediterranean country (taking the Mediterranean job),” Mitsotakis told Politico. “I’m not raising my hand because there are other portfolios that could be extremely interesting to us and at the end of the day it’s a call made by the president.”