- The 21st ESPO Conference gathered Europe’s port elite in Thessaloniki on May 8-9;
- Deputy Minister of Shipping Stefanos Gkikas shared Greece’s view on the EU maritime strategy;
- Key EU figures attended, each bringing their own shade of optimism or concern;
- Gkikas called Thessaloniki Port the gateway to the Balkans and beyond;
- Emphasis placed on innovation funds, small businesses, and nautical jobs;
- The cruise sector labeled a ‘lifeblood’ of the Greek economy, with record numbers expected;
- Climate targets and ‘Fit for 55’ package sparking polite anxieties;
- IMO’s global emissions pricing got a mention, along with a subtle plea for Brussels support;
- Gkikas pressed for special programs aimed at islands—a Greek tradition as old as bureaucracy itself.
On May 8 and 9, representatives of Europe’s port sector, policymakers, and the occasional optimist convened in Thessaloniki for the 21st edition of the ESPO Conference. The annual summit, rather like a family reunion with fewer arguments and more paperwork, drew around 300 delegates who pretended to enjoy conference coffee while trading visions for the continent’s seagoing future.
Deputy Minister for Shipping and Island Policy, Stefanos Gkikas, stepped up to the podium with a sense of purpose and the resolve of a man who has read every EU directive twice. His audience: a whole cast of European movers and shakers. Among them lurked Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Greek Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Gesine Meissner, who monitors the European Maritime Space with the energy of a hawk circling a harbor, and Fotini Ioannidou of DG MOVE, known for her steady hand on the tiller of EU maritime bureaucracy.
Gkikas wasted no time naming Thessaloniki Port “a main gateway to the Balkans,” reminding everyone that Piraeus also counts. These ports, he said, form “strategic gateways to wider Southeast and Central Europe,” which is how Greeks say, “Don’t forget us on those Brussels maps.” The gathering nodded. Or dozed off—or both.
Policy Pledges and Maritime Marvels: The Conference in Motion
The Deputy Minister refused to praise the ports’ beauty (as tempting as that is). Instead, he charged into the thick of EU maritime strategy with the zeal of a man determined to get small shipping firms a fair shake, or at least a government grant. “The EU’s new shipping strategy must include a distinct pillar for maritime transport,” declared Gkikas, adding, “Special attention must be paid to small and medium-sized businesses, so they can access the Innovation Fund, which they currently cannot. This is critical to strengthen their competitiveness.”
Few things unite policymakers: job creation is one, and Gkikas played that card. “The EU must guarantee a level playing field for shipping globally and align its rules with those of the International Maritime Organization,” he insisted, while noting the urgent need to focus on “maritime employment.” In Brussels, this probably translates as yet another inbox-filling task force.
He soon reminded participants that, in Greece, privatization plans move more efficiently when the economy cooperates. “Stable fiscal and economic policies have fostered an environment where the port privatization program can proceed,” he explained with the confidence of a man who knows how many committees it will take. Then he pivoted to the cruise industry, calling it “a lifeblood of the Greek economy”—a phrase heard by every mayor with a harbor since 1970. “Cruise statistics for 2024 show new records in ship arrivals and passenger numbers. A more than 10% increase is expected for 2025,” Gkikas announced, inviting the audience to imagine a future of sunburned tourists and dockside souvenir stands.
Of course, nothing stirs politics like carbon emissions. Gkikas highlighted the need to implement the “Fit for 55” package, so those ports and ships become greener, at least on paper, by 2050. He referenced the IMO’s introduction of a global pricing system for ship fuel emissions, a plan designed to lower greenhouse gas intensity. “It is now the responsibility of member states and Brussels to adapt,” he remarked, before delivering his pièce de résistance: “When true will and an open mind exist, fair and balanced solutions benefit all parties.”
If Thessaloniki’s 21st ESPO Conference accomplished anything, it made one thing clear: in the port sector, strategy meetings and promises floating just above sea level are here to stay.
