European Commissioner for Infrastructure, Transport, Tourism and Military Mobility Apostolos Tzitzikostas, speaking at the Economist Crete Summit in Chania on 29 May 2026, outlined a series of EU-funded infrastructure projects transforming Crete into a strategic Mediterranean hub, and announced the upcoming first-ever European Tourism Policy.
Tzitzikostas highlighted that sectors under his responsibility — infrastructure, transport, shipping, aviation, tourism and military mobility — account for nearly 40% of Greek GDP. He framed Crete as a crossroads of sea routes, energy corridors and trade flows, and stressed the EU's role as a partner, not just a funder. The speech contained several concrete project references: the Northern Road Axis of Crete, supported with €135 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility; the new Kastelli airport, backed by a €180 million European Investment Bank loan; and the Great Sea Interconnector linking Cyprus and Crete, receiving €658 million in EU support. Seven port-related projects worth €27 million are funded under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), including the electrification of Heraklion port. Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, €1.37 billion is financing 93 businesses, 72 of which are small and medium-sized enterprises.
Tzitzikostas also announced that the European Commission will soon present the first-ever European Tourism Policy, aiming for a more qualitative, sustainable and competitive tourism sector that supports local communities and protects the environment. He positioned Crete as a potential European model for this policy. On military mobility, he noted that Crete's ports, roads and airports gain new geostrategic value as Europe prioritises rapid movement of military equipment and personnel. He also referenced the Aegean-Black Sea rail and road corridor, a project he described as his top priority since taking office, which positions Greece as a strategic hub for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
The speech did not provide a specific timeline for the tourism policy launch, nor did it detail legislative or regulatory measures. It focused on declarative support for existing projects and broad policy direction, with no new numerical targets or institutional structures announced beyond the tourism policy commitment.
55 — The speech reaffirms EU financial commitments to Greek infrastructure and signals a new EU tourism policy, but contains no new concrete proposals or paradigm shifts beyond previously announced projects.