1. Margaritis Schinas is a Greek politician and former civil servant.
12 Facts About Margaritis Schinas
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Margaritis Schinas served as vice-president in the Von der Leyen Commission with the portfolio of European Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life from 2019 to 2024.
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Margaritis Schinas went on to receive a Diploma of Advanced European Studies in European Public Administration from the College of Europe in Bruges in 1986, as well as a further Master of Science in Public Administration and Policy at the London School of Economics in 1987.
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Margaritis Schinas passed the competition for EU officials in 1989, and started working as a eurocrat in the Directorate-General for Transport of the European Commission and then at the European Commission Representation Office in Athens.
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From 2004 to 2007 Margaritis Schinas was head of cabinet of the European Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.
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Margaritis Schinas became an MEP for the New Democracy party, following the resignation of Antonis Samaras from the European Parliament on 25 September 2007.
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Margaritis Schinas served until 2009 and was not a candidate in the 2009 European elections.
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In 2010, Margaritis Schinas was appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers by Commission President Barroso.
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Margaritis Schinas became the first Greek to hold such a high-ranking position in the Europe's top decision-making body.
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Margaritis Schinas's portfolio was later renamed into "Promoting our European Way of Life".
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Margaritis Schinas is married to Mercedes Alvargonzalez, a Spanish national, who was like him a student of the College of Europe in Bruges and works for the Secretariat of the European People's Party's Parliamentary Group and its President Manfred Weber.
12.
In March 2020, Margaritis Schinas was one of the few persons to participate in the start of the Tokyo 2020's Olympic torch relay - cancelled afterwards due to the COVID-19 crisis - in Olympia, Greece, as the third torchbearer after two olympic champions, Greek shooter Anna Korakaki and Japanese marathoner Mizuki Noguchi.