o kozan.gr is launching a new series of tributes - interviews with our fellow citizens & compatriots, who made the decision to emigrate abroad and seek their working future far from their homeland. Through the personal stories and experiences of each one, we will get to know the way of life and living conditions in other countries, with the positive and negative aspects that apply to each of them. If you are also working abroad and want to share your story with us contact us at info@kozan.gr
Dr. Dimitrios Savvidis son of Konstantinos Savvidis and Anna Savvidou, née Tsioukra, was born on May 30, 1974 in Kozani, where he graduated from the 1stο General Lyceum of the city. He is married to Maria Banti, an Environmentalist, a graduate of the National School of Public Administration and an employee of the Ministry of Environment and Energy. He has two older brothers, Athanasios and Antonios. He is an employee of the European Commission (European Commission) with an employment contract in Directorate-General for Climate Action (Directorate General Climate Action, DG-CLIMA) Transportation Department C4, based in Brussels, Belgium. It is responsible for developing and implementing EU policy on reducing CO emissions.2 from heavy commercial road vehicles.
1. How many years have you lived in Brussels and briefly describe to us how your work at the European Commission came about, and specifically at the Directorate General for Climate Action (DG–CLIMA), in the Transport Department C4?
I have been in Brussels since June 2010. I started working in the Directorate-General for Industry and Enterprise and was responsible for emissions from internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery. From 2013 until today I have been working in the Directorate-General for Climate Action, specifically in the unit dealing with road transport. The procedure followed for my recruitment was the same as in most cases: sending a CV, interview with the managers of the unit where I was going to work, a second interview with the director of the directorate and then recruitment. The competition was very high for both positions I applied for, since the candidates came from all EU member states.
So today, I am responsible for developing and implementing EU policy on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) and fuel consumption from internal combustion engines (ICE) of heavy vehicles (trucks and buses). I am also responsible for drafting the relevant legislation and for the development and evolution of the VECTO simulation tool (Vehicle Energy Consumption calculation TΟol) που εισήχθη στη σχετική νομοθεσία και χρησιμοποιείται από 1 Ιανουαρίου 2019 σε όλα τα καινούργια βαρέα οχήματα προκειμένου να προσδιοριστεί η ποσότητα CO2 that they emit under specific conditions and fuel consumption. I work closely with the automotive industry and other stakeholders, EU Member State authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In addition, I manage relevant EU-funded studies and projects, prepare briefings, letters, presentations and participations in EU, Council of Europe and European Parliament meetings and represent the EU in meetings and conferences. Finally, I participate in the Technical Committee of Motor Vehicles (TCMV), whose members are exclusively national experts from the EU Member States, who discuss the final proposals for the text of European Directives, amend Regulations and vote on technical measures.
2. What are your working conditions, in terms of hours, the place where you work and in general anything you consider important that you should report to us?
The working conditions could well be described as ideal. The daily working hours are 8 hours. However, there is some flexibility as to how the 8 hours will be completed. Each employee can be at their desk from 7 am to 8 pm. However, the hours that all employees must be at their desks (core times) are from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm (or 4:30 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays). From 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm every day is the lunch break and everyone can use it accordingly. The minimum mandatory break that an employee must take is 20 minutes, while if one day they do not complete 8 hours of work, then this can be done on the following days, of course working more than 8 hours, in order to cover the previous deficit.
Apart from the working hours that I described above, the amenities that the EU provides us with regarding office equipment, building infrastructure, family benefits (e.g. daycare centers), medical and pharmaceutical safety and care are at a very high level, which is why I said at the beginning that the working conditions are ideal. Finally, the prospects for development in such an international environment are great, as is the responsibility in managing issues that fall within our competences.
3. Someone will say that, certainly, the quality of work and what is provided to an employee of the European Commission is excellent, but for a few, that is, those who have the qualifications. But what happens to the rest of the Greek immigrants? What is their life like there? For example, a person who has not – professionally – specialized in anything, can “chase” his dream in Brussels and if so, what should he pay attention to?
In recent years, many of our compatriots have come to Brussels and Belgium in general. Clearly, not everyone has the same level of expertise, but when you chase, as you said, your dream, then you will definitely succeed! At first, someone may face difficulties due to the different culture and conditions, but over time they adapt and begin to perform. Also, many people are affected by the weather conditions, since unfortunately they are not the same as those in Greece and they miss the sun and the blue sky. The largest percentage of Greeks who came to Belgium have found a job, some even hold important positions of responsibility, while several of them decide to spend the next years of their lives here, creating a family, if they have not already brought one from Greece. There is also the Greek community that provides assistance to those who need it and through social media, most share their experiences in order to serve as a useful guide for those who decide to come later.
4. Tell us about life in Brussels. What stands out to you and what do you admire about the place you live?
The city of Brussels is the center of Europe in terms of political developments in the European Union. The seat of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Commission (EU), the NATO headquarters, in combination with a very large number of companies and organizations that are also based here, automatically make it a center of developments. There is a multiculturalism and if we walk the streets of the city we will hear citizens (permanent residents or visitors) speaking different languages, each of them bringing elements of the country from which they come. This creates a huge mosaic of cultures and perceptions that has an extraordinary beauty. Here one can find almost everything while at the same time traveling to every corner of Europe. London, Amsterdam, Paris and other major European capitals are easily accessible and in a short time. Belgium as a country is not large but its location makes it a key travel destination.
5. You specialize in climate-related issues and at the same time you are aware of the particularly important period that the Kozani region and the wider energy basin are going through, the developments with lignite and the discussion around the post-lignite era. As our compatriot, are you concerned about the course of these things? Are we “moving” well or do you believe that we have fallen behind in terms of preparation for the new era. What is your answer to the dominant question: Where should we “turn” as a region? Who, how and with what procedures, will decide this? With what and where, in your opinion, should we head so as not to experience, in the immediate or distant future, situations of economic decline in our country?
I am following with great interest and anxiety the developments in our country. The period is critical and important decisions must be made. Climate change is currently the highest priority for most countries worldwide and the world is becoming more and more aware day by day. Our country has enormous advantages compared to other countries in the North and beyond. The sun, the sea, the wind, geothermal energy are just some of the sources that could be used for energy production.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a complex process and we must all actively participate. Everyone can help and do their bit even with small daily changes in their habits. It is now imperative for local bodies in cooperation with the executive authorities to find sustainable solutions that will also ensure new jobs. Other countries have already done it, why not us? The scientific staff of our country is at a very high level and its cooperation with other bodies and organizations abroad to find the best and most efficient solution is imperative. The margins are narrowing dangerously.
6. However, apart from energy developments, the developments taking place – in Greece – in the field of education and especially tertiary education are also important. You were a professor at the University of Antwerp, in Belgium (University of Antwerp), while from June 2012 to September 2013 you held the position of full-time professor. Tell us, briefly, about the operating philosophy of the universities there (if there are any differences with ours) and what kind of development is created in the cities where they are located. Is it basically the same as what we have and is it limited exclusively to where departments – schools will be created, so that economic benefits arise for local communities from the residence of students or is it something else? Finally, given that the region now has the unified (with the former ATEI), University of D. Macedonia, what, in your opinion, should be its course from now on so that it becomes attractive and ultimately survives?
In addition to the University of Antwerp, I have also taught at many universities in Europe as a visiting professor. The main characteristic that all these universities have in common is the connection of the study programs with the labor market. The professors are in constant communication with the companies and/or businesses of the local communities and try to contribute in cooperation with them to better staffing them. Students prepare their master's theses or their doctoral dissertation in cooperation not only with the supervising professor and the university but also with the companies which in many cases finance these works. In other words, universities are a piece of the puzzle that is created in a specific region and do not operate autonomously and independently. They listen to the needs of the place and society and ensure that they supply the labor market with appropriately qualified personnel. Furthermore, universities abroad hire the best professors based on meritocracy, and not as is unfortunately the case in many cases in Greece, where the worthy and capable do not find a position due to the well-known pathologies of the system. I have an unpleasant personal experience on this, but it is not the place to analyze it further.
I will give you an example from my own tenure at the University of Antwerp: In 2013, the research team we had created there published the results of measurements regarding the number of vehicles entering specific parts of the city, the number of passengers each car had, the number of kilometers each driver traveled daily, the age of the vehicle, the emissions of these pollutants and much more. A study that lasted more than 7 months. As soon as we published this study, the head of the environment of the metropolitan area of Antwerp contacted me to discuss possible ways to utilize the findings of the study. In other words, she wanted to study and implement measures in the area that would result in better air quality in the area and traffic congestion relief measures, while they would then finance the repetition of the study to see the results that the measures taken had brought.
The new University of Western Macedonia that was created in our region should follow a path of extroversion, turn to collaborations with universities and research centers abroad, attract resources from European programs and allocate money for its infrastructure (laboratories, building facilities, equipment, etc.) and of course research. For my part, I would be happy if any member of the academic community of the University of Western Macedonia would contact me to discuss possible sources of funding and ways to create collaborations with universities abroad. To date, I have overseen programs through which funds of more than three million euros were allocated and most of these funds have gone to universities in Austria and to research centers in England, Germany and the Netherlands without any Greek university ever submitting a proposal for any of these programs.
More information about Mr. Savvidis as well as his detailed biography can be found here: www.dsavvidis.gr
