Biography
Mr Gofas is double national Greek and French. He holds a Master’s degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – EPFL) in civil engineering with specialisation in planning and transportation.
He is a senior expert on socio-economic development at the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission.
Since 2013 he is working as a resident senior expert posted in Athens, Greece where he provided analysis and advice on the formulation, negotiation and monitoring of the Greek economic adjustment programme and the post-programme surveillance in the fields of structural funds, transport, environment, cadastre, spatial planning and rural development.
Since 2021, he is involved with the negotiation, assessment and implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Programme (Next Generation EU) for Greece. In particular, he is in charge of investments and reforms in transport infrastructure, water supply
and wastewater, solid waste management, irrigation and agriculture, civil protection and urban planning.
From August 2008 to July 2013 he was the Head of Sector for socio-economic development in the Directorate General for Enlargement of the European Commission in charge of preparing and funding large infrastructure (transport, energy, environment, social infrastructure) and private sector support projects using innovative financial engineering instruments in the Balkans and in Turkey in collaboration with International Financing Institutions.
From February 2004 to August 2008, Mr Gofas was Head of Operations in charge of the management of the EU assistance to Serbia in the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) based in Belgrade, Serbia.
Previously he held several positions in the European Commission, identifying, designing and implementing major development projects and programmes around the world including, roads, airport, ports, hospitals, schools and rural development programmes.
Before joining the European Commission, Mr Gofas worked for several years as a consultant in the UK, Greece and Pakistan and as lecturer in the Institute of Transportation and Planning of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.