Margaritis Schinas

Stemming from a family from Fourka, Chalkidiki, Schinas studied at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he received a Bachelor of Laws in 1985.[1] He went on to receive a Diploma of Advanced European Studies (DAES) 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 and Political Sciences in 1987.[2]

In October 2011, he graduated from the EU-funded "High Potential Leadership" Program of the Harvard University School of Business.

Schinas passed the competition for EU officials in 1989, and started working in the Directorate-General for Transports of the European Commission and then at the European Commission Representation Office in Athens. From 1999 to 2004, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, responsible for Transport, Energy and Relations with the European Parliament. From 2004 to 2007 Schinas was head of cabinet of the European Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.

Schinas became an MEP for the New Democracy party (which is part of the European People's Party), following the resignation of Antonis Samaras from the European Parliament on 25 September 2007. During his time in office, he was a member of the Committee on Budgets. He served until 2009 and was not a candidate in the 2009 European elections.

Schinas before the European Parliament in 2019 in hearings for his confirmation as European Commissioner for Protecting the European Way of Life

In 2010, Schinas was appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers by Commission President Barroso. In April 2013 he was appointed Director at the Commission's Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs.[3]

Since November 2014, he has been acting chief spokesperson for the European Commission, following a proposal from President Jean-Claude Juncker. As of 16 December 2015, he was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Communication Directorate of the European Commission.

Following the 2019 European election, Schinas was nominated to serve in the Von der Leyen Commission as the European Commission vice president for “Protecting our European Way of Life”,[4] who will be responsible for upholding the rule-of-law, migration and internal security.[5] He became the first Greek to hold such a high-ranking position in the Europe's top decision-making body.[6] His portfolio was later renamed into "Promoting the European Way of Life".

He speaks Greek, English, French and Spanish. He is married to Mercedes Alvargonzález,[7] 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. They have two sons, Stergios and John.

Schinas is an Aris Thessaloniki supporter.[8]

In March 2020, 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.[9]

• Personal profile of Margaritis Schinas in the European Parliament's database of members
• Dallison, Paul (23 February 2016). "Brussels bureaucrat: 'We're not bureaucrats!'". politico.eu.