The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, spoke about the comparative advantage of Greek shipping, which is a pioneer and leading force worldwide and holds 60% of the European sector, in statements he made on the sidelines of the “European Shipping Summit” taking place in Brussels.
More specifically, Kikilias stated:
“It is a very important opportunity to emphasize that Greek shipping is a pioneer and a leading force worldwide.
20% of the world’s merchant fleet and together with European shipping constitute, in my opinion, a comparative advantage in development, trade and negotiating power for Europe.
Europe must understand this and incorporate into its strategies and policies this growth potential, with such a regulatory framework, so that it is not at a disadvantage against global data and competitors.
It is obvious that the growth in the US and China is so great that our European family must invent new ways to strengthen itself economically and be more competitive.
I therefore look forward to working with the European Commission and the Presidency so that we can integrate all these good practices that will lead to competitiveness, further development and strength for our shipping.
After all, recent crises – one of them was the pandemic – have proven that shipping plays a pivotal and crucial role in how cargo is transported for primary production, trade, industry and has now reached 70% in everything that has to do with transport in Europe.
We will use this comparative advantage that we have and support the shipping sector at all levels, so that we can achieve our goals.”
