"This is a deeply flawed process, devoid of transparency, where the rules prevent meaningful scrutiny of these declarations," said Nicholas Aiossa, the director of Transparency International EU.
Here are some of the interesting findings ...
Landlord commissioners
Greece’s Apostolos Tzitzikostas has the most impressive list of properties, with four pages of his declaration detailing his partial or total ownership of 16 apartments, 655,463 m2 of land (that’s around six times the size of Paris), six stores, and also several garages and storage spaces all around Greece. Tzitzikostas’ family is one of the biggest landowners in the country, with land ownership dating back centuries, according to a Greek official, granted anonymity to speak freely. Tzitzikostas’ family is one of the richest in northern Greece.
Tzitzikostas’ portfolio will include the tourism industry, raising questions about decisions he might take that could affect the value of his properties, said an MEP who had access to the declaration, granted anonymity to speak freely. The Greek politician, who also declares owning more than €200,000 of shares in various businesses (from dairy products to photovoltaic energy), also received funding from Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy for one of his farms worth €18,116.30. At the time of publication, Tzitzikostas had not responded to a request for comment.
Italian Raffaele Fitto declared owning seven apartments, while having shares in three others. His real estate assets, all located in Italy, also include land, two garages and a cellar. The politician from Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing party, who made his career in the public sector, is expected to take on the cohesion and reform portfolio. He also declares owning 15 percent of a pharmacy in Brindisi in the south of Italy, the value of which is estimated —by Fitto himself— at €150,000. At the time of publication, Fitto had not responded to a request for comment.
Bulgarian Commission nominee Ekaterina Zaharieva has also apparently established a real estate fortune. In 2008, she bought a 6,850 m2 plot of land including a holiday home on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki, as well as an apartment in her country’s capital Sofia. Between 2016 and 2018, Zaharieva bought two other houses and plots of land in Bulgaria. At the time of publication, Zaharieva had not responded to a request for comment.
Stéphane Séjourné, the French commissioner-designate for prosperity and competitiveness, was among those pledging for the creation of a EU-wide regulator to screen politicians' declarations thoroughly and defend transparency during his time as an MEP for Renew. However, his own declarations give no indication of his financial assets or liabilities. At the time of publication, Séjourné had not responded to a request for comment.
The same goes for Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič, who has been asked by von der Leyen to revise the EU’s transparency register — but is also among those who have provided few details in their declaration. Šefčovič has been asked for comment.
Estonia’s Kaja Kallas only declares having bank accounts and savings. The section relating to the financial interests of spouses or partners was left empty, despite a 2023 controversy around her husband’s ownership of shares in a business with ties to Russia. However, she later details his positions in four legal entities — Tristock, Tallinn Directors Club, AS Framm and Novaria Consult. “HRVP-designate Kallas has filled in her declaration of interests as requested and it is now in the process of parliamentary scrutiny,” her transition team told POLITICO.
Private sector ties
Romania’s Roxana Mînzatu, nominated to be executive vice president for people, skills, and preparedness, founded a consultancy in April 2021 to help businesses access EU funds between her gigs as minister for European funds in 2019 and secretary of state for the coordination of EU-funded programs between December 2021 and July 2024.
She transferred total ownership of the company in February 2022, right before taking on the role of secretary of state, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Despite announcing a suspension of activity starting January 2022, the company had an income in 2023 — which Mînzatu has not declared. At the time of publication, Mînzatu had not responded to a request for comment.
Portugal’s Maria Luis Albuquerque raised many eyebrows in her own country for how she effortlessly jumped back and forth between the private sector and key governmental positions. Albuquerque makes no secret about it in her declaration, providing lawmakers with a general description of her previous involvement with companies. However, she omitted any further details of the ownership structure or the revenues of her own consultancy, Roundatmosphere. Owned by her and her husband, the business made $170,000 in 2023, and $132,000 in 2022, according to financial data provided by Informa. Contacted for comment, Albuquerque’s team confirmed that the declaration had been filed and was being processed by the Parliament, adding it would "not be appropriate to comment on any leaks or speculation" in the meantime.
