The vast wealth of nominees hoping to serve under the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen has been revealed, with one boasting a property portfolio of seven apartments.
It comes as the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee, JURI, sifts through the declarations of interest handed in by top EU officials – excluding von der Leyen herself – to ensure her picks are fit to serve as EU commissioners in total independence and without conflicts.
A decisive meeting is taking place on Thursday in which the JURI members will debate whether each of the 26-strong proposed team can take up their new roles.
Politico sourced all of the declarations handed in by the commissioners themselves, offering an insight into their various business interests. Nothing illegal was found, but it laid bare the incredible wealth among some of the potential Commission’s rising stars.
Italy‘s Raffaele Fitto, who has served as Minister for European Affairs and Minister for the South and Cohesion Policies in the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for two years, declared ownership of seven apartments and said to have shares in three others. Among his other property assets are land, two garages and a cellar.
15 percent ownership of a pharmacy in Brindisi in the south of Italy was also declared, which he valued at an estimated €150,000 (£126,121). He’s been designated as the prospective Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who comes from one of the richest families in northern Greece, declared partial or total ownership of 16 apartments, according to the outlet.
The property portfolio of the Governor of Central Macedonia and former President of the EU Committee, also includes 655,463 m2 of land, six stores, and several garages and storage spaces all around his native Greece, the outlet reports.
Last month he was designated as the new Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism ahead of his confirmation. One MEP who had access to Mr Tzitzikostas’ declaration told Politico this raised questions about how his decisions could affect the value of his property.
He also owns a number of businesses from dairy products to photovoltaic energy, as per the report. Mr Tzitzikostas has been approached for comment via email.
Meanwhile Bulgarian Commission nominee Ekaterina Zaharieva declared that she bought a 6,850 m2 plot of land including a holiday home on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki in 2008, as well as a flat in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
Ms Zaharieva also purchased two other houses and plots of land in her home country between 2016 and 2018. Slovenia’s Marta Kos, expected to take charge of the enlargement portfolio, declared she has around €1 million (£839,896) in savings accounts.
The Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs will scrutinise the declarations ahead of the hearings which will start on November 4 and take place until November 12.
According to the European Parliament website, the hearings will be “followed by meetings in which the committee chair and group representatives (coordinators) of the various committees will assess whether a Commissioner-designate is qualified both to be a member of the College and to carry out the particular duties they have been assigned.
“Once all hearings are completed, the Conference of Committee Chairs will assess the outcome of the confirmation hearings and forward its conclusions to the Conference of Presidents.” The website adds: “The latter will conduct the final evaluation and decide whether to close the hearings.”
Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Raffaele Fitto have been approached for comment via email, and Marta Kos has been approached via LinkedIn.