Vassilis Kikilias announced from Lemesos the budget boost for the education of seafarers with an additional 90 million.
The Greek government’s decision to increase the budget for the training of seafarers by 25%, an additional 90 million euros, over the next seven years was announced by the Minister Maritime and Island Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, at the Ministerial Conference on Seafarers in Limassol in the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, noting that “our aim is to seek those opportunities to make maritime education more attractive to the new generation and to help women and men seafarers to stay in the profession.
Kikilias stressed that “we are now seeing young people with many skills working in this huge shipping industry. This gives more prestige to the seafaring profession. I am constantly talking through social networks, trying to convince the core of Greek society, Greek families, that they should start talking again with their children about their employment in professions related to the shipping industry and the further development of this sector, which yields very high wages and at the same time, yields a significant social footprint.”
In this context, the Minister stressed that competitiveness through shipping is a key factor for the country’s development and future. “We must have new, fresh European policies and ideas for our ports, for energy, for the commercial part of shipping – together with our fleet – since trade by sea accounts for 80% to 90% worldwide,” he said. He added: “We are facing an issue and a challenge. It is not a European problem, but a global one, which varies from society to society and from country to country. You see countries evolving, acquiring a higher standard of living and then, younger generations turning one-dimensionally to office jobs. We will try – as we are already doing – to communicate this and to convince the average Greek, Cypriot and European family that the younger generation should be redirected to the sea again.”
On the occasion of the honorary award to Captain Panagiotis Tsakos for his many years of contribution to the wider shipping industry, Mr. Kikilias said that while he is one of the largest ship owners in the world, everyone still calls him a captain. This is the true recognition for a man who made his dream come true, motivated by his love for the sea and seafarers.
In closing, the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy reiterated that in this very difficult and volatile period we are going through geopolitically and geostrategically, “we can come out of this more resilient and stronger. And I believe we have proven that we can do that. We can rise to the occasion and work together to this extent”, he said. “It’s about vision. It’s about tireless pursuit of goals, about relentless struggle and work. And that’s how you can produce results. Europe is history, it is culture, it is civilization, it is the Western way of life.”
