Vasilis Kikilias
Vasilis Kikilias was born in 1974 in Athens. He is a graduate of Leonteios School of Nea Smyrni. He studied at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, pursued postgraduate studies at the National School of Public Health, and subsequently earned a doctorate from the Medical School. He is a surgeon specializing in orthopaedics.
Alongside his studies, he built a notable career in sports, particularly in basketball, playing for teams such as AEK, Panionios, Ionikos, and Apollon Patras, with his participation in the Hellenic National Basketball Team being a particularly distinguished honor.
His political career began in 2006 when he was elected as a Municipal Councilor of the City of Athens. From 2007 to 2010, he served as President of the Organization for Youth and Sports of the Municipality of Athens.
In November 2010, he ran for Regional Governor of Attica in the local elections and emerged as the leader of the major opposition party. That same year, he was appointed Secretary of Sports for the Nea Democratia political party, and the following year, he was designated as a Deputy Secretary of Program Planning.
The year 2012 marked a milestone in his political career, as he was elected Member of the Hellenic Parliament for the Athens 1st constituency with the Nea Democratia political party, a position he helds still continuously for the past twelve years. Throughout this period, he has participated in various parliamentary committees, including those on National Defense and Foreign affairs, Public Administration, Public Order and Justice, Social Affairs, and Gender Equality, among others.
In June 2014, he was sworn in as Minister of Public Order for six months, during which he achieved significant progress in combating terrorism.
In 2016, he was appointed as the spokesperson for Nea Democratia, and in 2017, he assumed the role of Head of the National Defense Sector for the Nea Democratia political party,.
In July 2019, he was appointed Minister of Health, successfully managing the critical period of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his tenure, he played a key role in strengthening the Greek healthcare system, overseeing the expansion of intensive care units, securing large-scale vaccine procurement and distribution, and implementing public health measures that contributed to controlling the spread of the virus.
In 2021, he was sworn in as Minister of Tourism, serving for two years. During this period, he focused on extending the tourism season, attracting high-value investments, and promoting Greece as a top global destination. His tenure saw record-breaking increases in tourist arrivals and revenues, reinforcing tourism as a key pillar of the Greek economy.
Since 2023, he has been serving as Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, effectively addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Till today, he has implemented major reforms to enhance Greece’s preparedness and response mechanism to natural disasters. He has overseen the modernization of the countrys civil protection mechanisms, including the expansion of aerial firefighting capabilities and the reinforcement of emergency response teams. Additionally, he has introduced a more proactive approach to disaster prevention, with an emphasis on climate adaptation measures, improved early warning systems, and the coordination of European resources to combat extreme weather events. His leadership has been focused in strengthening Greeces resilience against natural disasters like wildfires, flash floods, and other climate-related crises.
A key project under his leadership is the AEGIS Programme, an ambitious 2.1 billion project fund aimed at upgrading Greeces civil protection mechanism. The programme includes the procurement of state-of-the-art firefighting aircraft, the incorporation of new technologies to emergency response, and the enhancement of disaster preparedness at both the national and local levels. AEGIS focuses on leveraging advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring systems, to improve early warning capabilities and crisis response and management. By implementing AEGIS, the Ministry seeks to establish a comprehensive and modern framework for addressing climate-related threats, ensuring preparedness against natural disasters in the years to come by building resilient communities and reducing the human and economic toll of these catastrophic events.
His involvement in politics stems from a personal need to contribute with faith, persistence, and seriousness to any effort that can create better conditions for all of us and for future generations. In such a challenging period, we all owe it to ourselves to have an active role in the public matters of our country. It is the least we can do. We have a responsibility and duty towards our child’s, fellow citizens and our nation.
He is married to Jenny Balatsinou, and they have one son.