“Shipping is the most important extrovert pillar of the Greek economy. I am really grateful that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has entrusted me with the position of Minister in such an important area, “said the Minister of Maritime and Island Policy, Vassilis Kikiliasspeaking at the 2nd International Maritime Security Conference, held at the Eugenides Foundation.
He emphasized that we are living in uncertain times and the national economy as well as a large proportion of its shipping GDP are influenced by geopolitical and strategic decisions.
“Consequently, enhancing competitiveness in the world of shipping within the European Union is essential.”
He noted that 90% of all the trafficking worldwide is by ships, of which a very large percentage (20%) are Greek -owned although not under the Greek flag, noting that this (flag) issue must be re -studied.
“This is a huge force that cannot be overlooked,” he said, adding that this power must be transformed into a negotiating advantage.
“We are now in the near future in constant dialogue and negotiation with the first field being the debate within the European family itself.
“I understand and respect the green economy, the low carbon dioxide emissions, I respect the support of ecology and the ensuring subsequent generations and all the effort made by the EU, but competitiveness is essential. We have pointed out this together by the shipowners and the Greek government, recently in Brussels. We need to carefully act and bridge the divide with the United States and China that are in constant growth as opposed to the EU that, unfortunately, is far behind. “
And he ended the alarm by stressing that if the right EU decisions were made immediately, a European and not just a Greek, strategic advantage concerning the fleet and shipowners would be lost.
“It is time for the bureaucracy crisis in Brussels, which, unfortunately, has been doing no job for many decades, and has not yet been found a common strategy that will be implemented and supported by everyone, at least not as early as it should. Momentum and dynamics are essential in the world political scene. “
Regarding maritime law, he said that “we are not just talking about fishing, gas and oil. We are talking about solar and wind energy, and given that strategically the US is turning to drilling, I see no other way of how things will evolve. ” Focusing on our region the Mediterranean basin pointed out that “since in one part of the Libyan boundary south of Crete, Israelis, Libyans and Egyptians have already proceeded with successful drilling, I do not understand why on the other side of this pelvis, we do not have a good opportunity.
I have to congratulate my colleagues to the Greek government who have decided to continue to push and see a very interesting proposal from Chevron which I think will be completed soon. “
Regarding the crucial sector of safe navigation, the Minister of Shipping referred to the dangers of illegal military actions such as pirates and the attacks of the Houthi Sea, stressing that to deal with such important ships and crews in the safety of ships.
The Minister made particular mention of the need to strengthen the protocols in cyber security, both at the infrastructure and in the level of administration, with emphasis on the co -operation of a private initiative and in this area to create the right framework.
Regarding the equipment of the Coast Guard, he highlighted the need to upgrade the Coast Guard fleet, as well as the technology used by CSR executives in the fight against crime (smuggling of weapons, drugs and illegal immigrants).
He also stressed that ports in ports, workers and travelers are always a top priority. He pledged that all competitions and PPPs would proceed, underlining the importance of private initiative and private capital investment in the industry.
He also referred to the crucial importance of education, noting that “we must give more to young people who want to become captains or engineers or to do all kinds of jobs in the shipping industry by creating an effective framework for upgrading existing skills and acquiring new ones.”
“All I can promise is that I will work and work too hard to produce results,” the shipping minister said.