The informal meeting of EU maritime affairs ministers - chaired by Minister of Shipping Maritime Affairs & the Aegean Miltiadis Varvitsiotis – was held in Athens on May 7 in the framework of the Greek EU Presidency. The ministers adopted a " Declaration of Athens," which lays out the EU and European Economic Area (EEAA) priorities in the coming years, titled "Mid-term Review of the EU’s Maritime Transport Policy until 2018 and Outlook to 2020."

The document aims at ensuring support, growth, and sustainability of commercial shipping. The Declaration will constitute the basis for the adoption of relevant Conclusions by the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in June 2014.

Varvitsiotis also met with International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Koji Sekimizu in the framework of yesterday’s ministerial meeting. The Greek ministers explained that his talks with Sekimizu dealt with "how Europe and the IMO can cooperate better, so as to avoid the implementation of regional policies which would [negatively] affect the competitiveness of European shipping, which ranks first on a global level."

He also noted that the Greek EU Presidency, and Greece itself, will stand by the IMO, being among the countries which quickly put into effect IMO rules.