The Production, Trade and Maritime Affairs Committees conference of the EU national parliaments was held at the Greek Parliament, on March 17, as part of the Greek EU presidency.

The Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Ioannis Tragakis, in his opening speech (in Greek), noted the importance of Blue Growth, since all its modules, i.e. Blue Development, Trans-European Transport Networks and Small and Medium Enterprises would ultimately result in the recovery of the economy and job creation.

The Commissioner on Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki, who briefed the participants on the Commission’s initiatives on Blue Growth, stated that there are five sectors with particular potential for blue growth: blue energy, maritime and coastal tourism, seabed mining, aquaculture and blue biotechnology. Europe's maritime sector currently employs 5.4 million workers, while the EU aims to increase this number by 1.6 million to 7 million jobs by 2020.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, informed the participants on the national strategic plan aimed at the Greek tourism’s development and the creation of jobs. “Greek tourism can and should support the regional development of the country,” she said.