Shipping and Aegean Minister Miltiades Varvitsiotis has signed an agreement for the development of a second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the provision of data processing and office equipment, that will be 70% funded by the EU External Borders Fund.

SIS II allows for an easy exchange of information between national border control authorities, customs and police authorities on persons who may have been involved in a serious crime. It also contains alerts on missing persons, in particular children, as well as information on certain property, such as banknotes, cars, vans, firearms and identity documents that may have been stolen, misappropriated or lost.

See also: Ministry of Shipping and Aegean: Provision of SIS II and data processing equipement (in Greek)

Piraeus will host the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) annual conference 2015 for the first time, the Piraeus Port Authority announced yesterday. The ESPO 2014 annual conference will take place on May 15-16 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The European Sea Ports Organisation represents the port authorities, port associations and port administrations of the seaports of the Member States of the European Union and Norway. ESPO also has observer members in several neighbouring countries to the EU and ensures that seaports have a clear voice in the European Union. The organisation promotes the common interests of its members throughout Europe and is also engaged in dialogue with European stakeholders in the Port and Maritime sector.

The Port of Piraeus will also host the 2015 European Maritime Day conference following a relevant recommendation by Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries Maria Damanaki.