WRITTEN QUESTION No. 311/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Problems facing the Greek shipping sector
Date: 1997-02-13
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: Greece, State aid, competitiveness, maritime transport, restriction on competition, ship's flag, shipbuilding, tax system













EUR-Lex - 91997E0311 - EN






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91997E0311

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 311/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Problems facing the Greek shipping sector  


Official Journal C 319 , 18/10/1997 P. 0059 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0311/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (13 February 1997)Subject: Problems facing the Greek shipping sectorRepeated reports in the Greek press note that the number of ships on the Greek shipping register is declining almost daily.In particular, the imposition of excessive taxes on shipbuilders and seamen has engendered a feeling of despair among the shipping community in Greece, and as a last resort ships are being registered under foreign flags.Greek shipyards are also facing enormous problems, since the decision by the Greek authorities to impose stamp duty on shipbuilding and ship repair and maintenance work is causing the further marginalization of the already ailing Greek shipbuilding industry.The effect of all this is to favour the shipping registers of non-EU countries and to erode the competitiveness of the Greek - and hence also the European - shipping sector, since the Greek fleet accounts for more than 50% of the EU fleet.Will the Commission say what action it has already taken - or intends to take in future - to prevail upon the Greek authorities to reexamine their policy in this sector and thus stem the steady decline in the number of Greek-registered ships, which is having disruptive consequences for the whole cycle of shipping activities in Greece?Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (7 April 1997)As the Honourable Member may know, flagging-out is a general problem affecting most Member States. Member States, including Greece, have sought to address shipping problems and to develop the competitive position of their fleets in various ways. In its communication of 13 March 1996 ((OJ C 56, 24.2.1997. )) the Commission reviewed the Community's maritime strategy and that of the Member States over the last decade and proposed ways of developing a new common maritime policy.The Commission has been striving to bring about a significant degree of convergence between the support measures developed by Member States to assist their shipping industries. There appears to be a consensus that a new approach to state aid should be developed. The Commission is therefore currently preparing revised Guidelines on State Aids to shipping companies, which will set out the criteria against which the Commission will allow Member States to provide, inter alia, fiscal relief for Community shipowners and seafarers. However, such revised guidelines will not entail an obligation for Member States to reduce taxes. As the Honourable Member will know, fiscal policy at present falls largely within the legal competence of the Member States, which naturally have to weigh sectorial interests against their budgetary situation.