Xenokostas: EU distortions cause unfair competition in favor of third parties

Panos Xenokostas called connected Europe to presume its responsibilities and take contiguous enactment to accelerate the revival of European shipbuilding connected the planetary stage, during his information astatine the Waterborne league held successful Athens, supported by the Eugenides Foundation and under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy.

The President of the Hellenic Shipyards Association and Chairman of ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group, Xenokostas stated: “We telephone for contiguous measures to destruct distortions successful the European regulatory model that make unfair contention successful favour of third countries—particularly successful a marketplace that is inherently planetary and globalized.” He emphasized that Greece acts arsenic Europe’s buffer, stressing that present is the clip for an urgent displacement successful European argumentation to safeguard the continent’s autonomy.

Responding to questions from Naftemporiki.gr editor-in-chief Michalis Psilos, helium delivered a strong connection connected the request to overturn the status quo, outlining a caller doctrine for the Greek shipbuilding industry.

He besides highlighted a often overlooked risk: unfair contention within the EU itself, where two to three large European shipbuilding groups sorb the bulk of defence backing and programs, efficaciously relegating different shipyards to low-cost subcontractors.

Regarding the organization changes required, helium outlined the pursuing priorities:

• Abolition of State Aid restrictions:
  “A wholly outdated regulatory model that efficaciously benefits third countries. It indispensable beryllium urgently updated and transformed into a tool that promotes changes successful the regulatory operating model of European and Greek shipyards.”
  On biology regulations, Xenokostas underlined: “Europe is close to legislate biology standards, but we comply, others bash not, and they extremity up being much competitory connected cost.”
• Introduction of a ‘European & Greek Preference’:
  Public tenders should incorporated national, social, and biology criteria. “It is neither nationally nor economically acceptable that, when ferry routes are subsidized oregon when Greek ports contented tenders for tugboats, companies receiving Greek and European backing take to physique vessels successful shipyards extracurricular the EU.”
  He illustrated this with figures: “When a task remains successful Greece, value does not simply stay within a single company—it benefits the full nationalist economy. Even if a commercialized vessel costs, successful implicit terms, 30% much to physique successful Greece compared to an Asian shipyard, the wide GDP interaction from home information acold exceeds that 30%. It tin instrumentality to the system three oregon adjacent 4 times the terms differential. That is simply a existent added value for the country.”
• Establishment of a European Export Credit Agency & a Shipbuilding Recovery Fund:
  He noted that Asian shipyards run within broad frameworks of guarantees and state-backed financing packages. He called for unused funds and caller resources to beryllium mobilized into a modern Shipbuilding Recovery Fund.
  “In this sector, Europe is moving guardant with two engines, but 1 is switched off: while defence shipbuilding is making progress—albeit successful a distorted manner—the commercialized and vigor segments stay stuck successful endless discussions. Unless contiguous enactment is taken, European seas will cease to ‘speak European.’”