Shipping and Island Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias highlighted the impact that decisions concerning shipping have on energy, product and food prices and, consequently, on the everyday lives of European families, during the 9th Trilateral Meeting of the ministers responsible for shipping from Cyprus, Greece and Malta, with Italy also participating, in Limassol.

As he stressed, the declaration signed by the four countries formalizes a joint effort to support the competitiveness of European shipping, with the protection of citizens and their countries’ economies as its guiding principle. This will be pursued through the promotion of realistic, internationally applicable and economically efficient measures that can secure the broadest possible common acceptance, within the framework of the relevant critical negotiations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union.

During the joint press conference that followed, Mr. Kikilias said: “It is very important for us, after a period of continuous efforts, to unite our voices on matters concerning European shipping, which is directly connected to the European economy.”

As he pointed out, 90% of global trade is transported by sea, and the competitiveness of shipping is directly linked to the European and global economy, since goods transported by sea have an impact on the prices of energy, products and food.

The minister stressed that the enormous instability, problems, wars and flare-ups in the surrounding regions are creating additional difficulties for global shipping. These challenges, he added, “should lead us toward a very prudent, realistic and substantive policy, so that we can fulfill our duty.”

In this context, he stressed that Europe’s responsibility is not limited to short-term policies addressing citizens’ everyday needs, but also includes medium- and long-term planning.

“A plan must be designed for European shipping so that Europe can be a leading force in shipping, in energy, in shipbuilding and shipyards, as well as in our ports and port infrastructure,” he noted.

Concluding, he described the day as particularly important and expressed his belief that other European Union member states would join the common effort.

“I am convinced that other countries, members of the European Union, will come forward and join us in embracing realism and common sense,” he said, concluding that this is “an era in which we must protect our peoples and our economies.”