PM launches long-awaited Posidonia 2022
Speaking in front of an 800-strong audience, Mitsotakis opened his speech praising the Greek shipping industry for its 7% contribution to the country’s GDP and the 200,000 jobs it has created for Greek citizens.
He also revealed details of a letter he sent to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen: “I called on her to make shipping a European priority with four pillars: first, to intensify the research and development of technologies and alternative fuels that will be compatible with the environment, safe for ships and sustainable for the economy; secondly, to review European legislation in order to ensure a level playing field in the transportation sector; thirdly, the distribution of revenue from the European emissions trading scheme, especially in maritime trade, to be fairly distributed among the member-states; and fourth, to apply the mechanism of the ‘polluter pays’ principle with the operator responsible and not the shipowner.”
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said: “Our role as regulators is to set the goal and the path to follow. It is for industry to choose the best technology for their vessels and business. Technologies are abundant – but not necessarily easy to implement at scale. And it is precisely these challenges that make Posidonia so important; a place to bring all actors together; to discuss, test, and forge new partnerships to move us forward.”