Christos Spirtzis

Christos Spirtzis
Χρήστος Σπίρτζης
Alternate Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks
In office
28 January 2015 – 28 August 2015
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
Personal details
Born 1969 (age 46–47)
Athens, Greece
Political party Independent
Spouse(s) Dimitra Foufri
Children 2 (Panagiotis, Kallia)
Alma mater Democritus University of Thrace
Profession Electrical engineer

Christos Spirtzis (Greek: Χρήστος Σπίρτζης; born 1969 in Athens) is a Greek engineer and center-left[1] independent politician. Since 28 January 2015 he has been the Alternate Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks in the government of Alexis Tsipras.[2]

Biography

Early life and education

Born 1969 in Athens and raised in the nearby Ampelokipoi,[1] Spirtzis studied Electrical engineering at the Democritus University of Thrace.[3]

Professional career

In 1999 he was appointed a member of the Economic and Social Committee of Greece, a post he would hold until 2008.[3] One year later, in 2000, Spirtzis was elected to the executive committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).[1] In 2007, he became vice president responsible for energy, development, employment, insurance, licensing, publications, ethics in representation, and the databank.[4] In September 2010, he was promoted to the post of the president of the chamber.[5] Presiding over the Democratic Coalition of Technicians (Δημοκρατικής Συμπαράταξης Μηχανικών), he was re-elected as president of TEE in 2013.[1] He also chairs the Hellenic National Committee at the World Energy Council.[4]

Political career

Spirtzis, who has been described as a "child" of social-democratic PASOK, however wasn't hesitant to clash with his party, especially in strongly opposing the Memorandum.[1] After the January 2015 legislative election, Spirtzis was appointed Alternate Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks by the Syriza-led government of Alexis Tsipras. He was sworn in on 28 January 2015, one day later than most ministers, as the Council of State had to approve the merging of ministries first.[6] Announcing that the government would stop the privatization of fourteen regional airports, he said: "The central position of the government is to stop the privatizations of infrastructure which serve and can help the development of the country."[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Nikolopoulou, Manina (27 November 2013). Χρήστος Σπίρτζης Φύτεψε... «Ελιά». Ethnos. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Who's Who of the new Greek Gov't". Proto Thema. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 Spritzis, Christos. Βιογραφικό [Biography]. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Hellenic National Committee of WEC". World Energy Council. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Zikakou, Ioanna (1 February 2015). "Who Is Who in the New Greek Government". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "New SYRIZA cabinet sworn in at the presidential mansion". Capital.gr. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Zafiropoulos, Pavlos (28 January 2015). "The opening moves of the SYRIZA government". The Times of Change. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
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