Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000199/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Yannis Maniatis (S&D)
Greece, a country with enormous maritime wealth and importance for European maritime policy, is being confronted with the need to renew its basic infrastructure, such as research vessels. Oceanographic vessels are a key tool for studying climate change, implementing the European maritime policy strategy and fulfilling obligations under European directives.
Greece’s two existing research vessels (‘AEGAEO’ and ‘PHILIA’) were built in 1985. The oceanographic vessel ‘AEGAEO’, which has been in service for 40 years and supported European programmes worth hundreds of millions of euro, will soon be decommissioned. Despite the fact that 75 % funding was secured from the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2018 for the construction of a new modern research vessel, the national contribution (25 % of the total budget) has still not been made available, causing delays that are jeopardising the continuation of Greek maritime research.
Can the Commission say whether additional European instruments or programmes could be used to help complete the construction of the new Greek research vessel, in order to ensure the continuation of maritime research and the fulfilment of Greece’s European obligations?
Submitted: 17.1.2025