Leonidas Dimitriadis Eugenidis: The subsidy framework for Greek coastal shipping must change

“Tragedy” is the word used by the President of the Evgenidis Leonidas Group, Dimitriadis Evgenidis, to describe the picture presented by the route and subsidy regime in Greek shipping.

Speaking at a conference on transport, Mr. Eugenidis, who is launching the passenger ferry “Anemos” in the Western Cyclades this year, characterized the whole picture “as a “tragedy” and added that “it is a very discouraging and sad picture”.

“Currently there are islands that for technical reasons do not have routes. Itineraries are also approved on ships that will never run but are intended to block the lines of others. The concept of regular and emergency routing has overflowed. How are the subsidies given, what are the criteria? I know one thing: the subsidy is given for social cohesion, the conventional ships which will cover the needs of the islands for 12 months. I want to understand what is the perspective, with which we decide and give subsidies, why this island and not the other, said Mr. Eugenides and asked for a new institutional framework and a fundamental restructuring and a proper institutional treatment.

He even gave an example saying that a truck cannot go from Sifnos to Syros because the Ministry chose to subsidize the intra-Cycladic transport through a high-speed ship and not a conventional ferry.

On the other hand, the president of the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies (SEEN), Mr. Spyros Paschalis, meaningfully commented that as long as the legislative framework was respected and interpreted correctly, there would be no problem. But the framework gives absolute power to the minister who is in the middle of a conflict of interest and has to make his own choices.

Mr. Eugenides also referred to the lack of sailors in coastal shipping, noting that this year we are seeing a huge lack of crews. We cannot find crews in coastal shipping, said Mr. Evgenidis so that the president of SEEN also agreed. Spyros Paschalis who added that indeed this is a serious matter.