Shipping's green transition, reviving maritime professions
– Your portfolio also includes some real hot-button issues like the green transition of shipping.
Greece has a super-weapon: its shipping and the people of its maritime industry. We're talking about an enormous pool of know-how. I would like to say something personal on this matter: I have held all kinds of positions in Cyprus and then in the EU as a commissioner, but the first time I felt so powerful in a negotiation was as shipping minister for Greece. Greece counts, everywhere, at every shipping forum. This is why we got Greece elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, in spite of the challenging geopolitical situation and all the different opposing trends. Because of our role, the European Commission also realized that the EU needs to work systematically with the IMO on matters related to the green transition; otherwise, European shipping is at risk of being left on the sidelines. As leader in EU shipping, Greece holds the EU flag high. And we can also serve as a bridge between the EU and the IMO. We are in a good place in negotiations with the EU for new funding tools to support European and Greek shipping on the path of this transition. We have very good cooperation with the deputy minister of finance, Nikos Papathanasis, who managed the Recovery Fund, and we expect confirmation of these very positive developments in the next few days. The funding through European resources for building new green and hybrid ships is expected to be approved. The prime minister has said something very wise: that we need to be radical about our green goals but also realistic. Otherwise, we all risk exposure and self-harm as European shipping. Serious research and studies are being carried out as we speak on green fuels, but certain crucial parameters have not been clarified, which is why the infrastructure is not ready yet. We launched an initiative at the European level on how European shipping can maintain its leading role by ending the differentiation between North and South in the industry. We will seek to upgrade shipping within the European institutions and I have already embarked on a tour of Europe to this end.
– Why are maritime professions no longer attractive to Greeks?
It's a global problem. Expert estimates have suggested that global shipping will need around 800,000 staff over the next few years. So you can imagine how many people Greek shipping needs, given its turnover and the number of Greek-owned ships. This is regardless of whether we transition to semi-autonomous ships at some point. It is a matter of absolute urgency to make maritime professions attractive again. We need incentives. We have already named 2024 as the Year of Maritime Education. Above all, we want to strengthen the Greek flag so that more jobs for Greek sailors are also created. Many of the young sailors studying at naval academies right now come from the mainland, from Macedonia and Epirus, rather than the islands. This shows that young people have other career options on the islands. I have set a wager with myself to elevate maritime education.
– What is the plan for upgrading the country's aged port infrastructure?
The decade-long crisis delayed a lot of things. Now we're trying to catch up. We have found a satisfactory amount of European funding and will start with small ports, on the islands. It will take a lot of time and money for us to have the port infrastructure to serve coastal shipping and yachting. I promise no miracles, but we have started and that's a good thing. I also believe that we need to consider private-public partnerships for some ports. There's also an idea for using the airport slot model at ports too. It's not an easy target, but it will help improve safety.
`Expert estimates have suggested that global shipping will need around 800,000 staff over the next few years'