The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy is proceeding with an ambitious plan to modernize and expand its port infrastructure.
The maritime ministry has already secured over 180 million euros from the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF, or ESPA in Greek) Transport 2021-2027 program to upgrade 30 island ports, with priority given to small and remote islands.
Twenty-one of these projects are included in the Growthfund, the national fund of Greece.
At the opening of the 8th Infrastructure and Transport Conference, deputy minister of maritime affairs and insular policy, Stefanos Gikas clarified that the creation and upgrade of port infrastructure is a ‘key priority’ so that the island country can become equally competitive with the mainland.
“We have secured, through the NSRF “Transport 2021-2027” Program, funding exceeding 180 million euros for the upgrade of 30 island ports, with an emphasis on small and remote islands, of which 21 projects have been included in the Growthfund,” the deputy minister said.
In addition, within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Fund, over 80 million euros have been secured for interventions aimed at upgrading islands and regional ports.
He also referred to the green transition of ports – especially those belonging to the Trans-European Transport Network, emphasizing that: “10 million euros have already been allocated for cold ironing studies in 4 ports (Lavrio, Rafina, Kavala, Corfu), while by 2029, 12 major ports in the country will have this capability. The ministry’s planning foresees a total of 23 ports having cold ironing capabilities.”
For this issue, “150 million euros have been secured from the Environment and Climate Change (PEKA) 2021-2027 program and 115 million euros from the Decarbonization Fund,” he stated.
The deputy minister also referred to the investment of 50 million euros to improve safety across port infrastructure in line with EU legislation (International ISPS Code) and enhance border controls under the Schengen Code and the Entry/Exit System (EES).
Concluding his address, Gikas noted that funding for infrastructure and transport is set to double following an announcement by EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
Gikas described the decision as of ‘paramount importance’ and emphasized the importance of the private sector’s contribution to the entire effort to upgrade port infrastructure.
