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Benjami’s legacy to the new president of the EU, M. Travlou

of Anastasia Vamvaka

Yesterday is one of the most memorable for the Hellenic Shipowners Association. Having completed its first 100 years, the Union has now appointed as its new captain, for the first time a woman, Melina Travlou, one of the most important businessmen in the field, with significant experience as an assistant for the challenges it will undertake.

An ally of the new president, however, is the hard work of the previous period, given that the outgoing president, Mr. Theodoros Veniamis, is one of the longest-serving presidents in the history of the Union and his term coincided with a period of modern Greek history with many economic and political challenges and unrest, with Greek shipping called upon to manage many of them.

The challenges

He is the president who was called to represent the legitimate interests of the first shipping company towards nine Greek governments, together with the incumbent and various ministers of Finance and Shipping, as well as against foreign centers of power.

The main weapon in this, regardless of the political differences, was the deep conviction of Mr. Veniamis that shipping is a national acquisition of the country and must always be connected with Greece.

The otherwise “tough” EEE has acquired an extroverted character in recent years, with Melina Travlou already with the first statements showing a continuation of this perception. With dozens of small and large actions through SYN-ENOSIS, a collective body of social responsibility, the EU has provided critical moments (fires, humanitarian crisis, refugees, etc.) to society.

“United the next day”

Mr. Veniamis’s four terms are the greatest proof of the special appreciation he had among his colleagues, who speak of a law, with a vision for the industry, a difficult negotiator but also accessible to all.

“I believe” he was and is, and now that there is a strong electoral climate in the Union for the succession, that the next day “all with their sleeves up for the good of the industry and the place”.

The message of the outgoing president

“A key parameter for the revival of seafaring is the improvement of the image of the seafaring profession as well as the necessary restructuring of the maritime education system due to its chronic weaknesses,” said the outgoing president of the EU, Theodoros Veniamis.

“At the global level, the Greek navy is also a leader, with substantiated proposals, actively participating in international processes for the adoption of realistic and effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships,” he said elsewhere, giving the key points of the next day. .

“In any case, we will continue to maintain that the Greek shipping can be the basis for the development of the new generation of sailors, officers and junior crew, who will be able to stand out in the international arena, taking advantage of the excellent reputation of Greek seafaring. and gaining professional benefits and prospects.

But I will repeat, once again, that Greek seafarers, in addition to excellent quality professionals, are called to be competitive in terms of economic working conditions, which must be compatible with those in the international maritime labor market. Relevant legislative interventions made for the recruitment of Greeks on ships under the Greek flag have created a new order of things.

The trade union of seafaring, which recently changed leadership, realizing the importance of this parameter, must be completely freed from the obstacles of the past, which have proven to lead to the shrinking of the Greek seafaring sector.

Besides, as I mentioned above, the vision of the revival of seafaring in our country, in order to be again a professional choice and at the same time a way out for young people, must be a point of coexistence of ship ownership and seafaring “noted Mr. Veniamis.

Maritime education is always at the forefront

As he said, “the Hellenic Shipowners’ Association, all the previous years, stood close to the Merchant Navy Academies, financing through the Co-Union their building renovation needs and their required equipment. In addition, agreeing on the need to pathogenesis of the current system, we worked closely with the Eugenidou Foundation, which undertook on behalf of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the preparation of a study for its overall upgrade and modernization, so that maritime education in our country can meet the new requirements of the time for the promotion of well-trained officers.

Although the study has been delivered to the State, since last spring, until today there has been no initiative to utilize its conclusions and proposals. On the contrary, it is found that fragmented actions are taken, without long-term added value, which rather exacerbate existing problems than address them.

By the way, I would like to make it clear that our Union is in favor of producing more officers. In no case do we oppose the establishment of new Academies, but we can not ignore individual actions, which are not supported by a holistic program to address the long-standing problems of the existing Faculties, such as the lack of teachers and the admission system.

This academic year, not all the positions of the faculties have been filled and we are very close to the next entrance examination period, without a formulated policy. Let’s hope that no more valuable time will be wasted and that there will be innovative planning for the future of maritime education.

Finally, I would like to refer to the positive change of the legal framework for the graduates of the Vocational High Schools of Maritime Direction, with which they acquire the right to be promoted again to the first degree of master and engineer, since whoever chooses the maritime profession, we wish to given the opportunity of his professional development, even with stricter conditions. As I said, there is a sea of ​​opportunity. ”

The international scene

In relation to the international situation and the green transition, Mr. Veniamis noted that “all legislators at the global and even European level should remember that the decoupling of shipping from coal should not lead to distortions of competition.

In addition, the European Union’s regional initiatives, especially in the context of the Europe Green Deal (the so-called Green Deal), should not go beyond the maritime policy agenda, jeopardizing the competitiveness of European shipping.

The forthcoming negotiations at the IMO together with all the proposals in the legislative package Fit for 55 of the European Commission will continue to be at the forefront of the issues monitored by our Union and I would like to thank our colleagues who chair the relevant Committees of our Union as well as the participants. to them for the time they have and the efforts they make to shape and process our positions. ”

National registers

“Among our national priorities all these years has been the implementation of the modernization of the Greek register and as a consequence the restoration of its competitiveness. of the past and the total flight of seagoing ships was restrained in recent years, which had led to a critical weakening of the Greek-flagged fleet and all that this implies for the strength of Greece’s representation in international fora.

However, as we have repeatedly underlined, this legislative restoration of distortions is unfortunately not enough to restore the competitiveness of the Greek-flagged ship. In addition, the administrative process and support, with the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy as well as the relevant inter-ministerial services, should be fully upgraded, in order to make them competitive and attractive for shipping in relation to the services provided by foreigners (European and non) registries, dealing with the difficulties of the Greek bureaucratic system of registration and its operation.

“So we remain faithful to the national goal of recovery of the Greek flag and we expect the imposed action on the part of the state, to which we have long submitted relevant constructive proposals,” he said.

The personal message

“So I want to thank them all for the unforgettable moments and the many feelings we shared, concerns, concerns, successes and especially my colleagues in the Bureau and the Board of Directors of the EUSR, who is completing his term today, who supported me warmly in the demanding work of our Union “stressed Mr. Veniamis and noted that:

“I will use, once again, the quote of the important fighter of 1821, Ioannis Makrygiannis” We are in the “we” and not in the “I” “. “And we for the shipping family is our Union” he underlined, stating that “we have reached the impressive number of 2,288 ships, and I ask you all to stay close to the Union, registering even more ships from the large tank of Greek ownership”.

Source: Capital

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