15/3/25 – HANDOVER TO THE NEW MINISTER OF MARITIME AFFAIRS

The President attended the handover ceremony between the ministers at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

16/3/25 – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Association was held in the beautiful Karolos Koun Hall of the Municipality of Alimos. Unfortunately, once again the participation of members was very small.

Here is the Boards report on the past year.

Issues per Ministry / Category that the Board of Directors dealt with:

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

VAT
CONNECTIVITY OF E-REGISTER WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS
FUNCTIONING OF KEFODE

VAT: The hearing of the appeal that was filed together with EPEST regarding VAT at the The Council of State (STE) and which was to be discussed in September was postponed once again. In January we were informed that the rapporteur of the STE withdrew the appeal because he has not received the information he requested from the Ministry of Finance and that he will seek a solution to the issue through another procedure?

Regarding the issue of the transition of the VAT rate on charters to the low rate, the following actions were taken:

After the 3rd Panhellenic Yachting Conference, the HCS in collaboration with the then Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Theocharis, had advanced the issue considerably and we were very close to achieving the goal. Unfortunately, with the change of minister, the issue froze. Efforts to meet with the government& financial staff were unsuccessful and we proceeded with the following meetings:

1. With the Minister of State, Mr. Voridis, who is in principle positive and would communicate with the Ministry of Finance. At the same time, we raised the issue of the lack of berthing and winterizing places with him.

2. With the Governor of the Public Administration Authority, Mr. Pitsilis, who also agreed and stated that our activity is like that of Airbnb. We also raised the issue of interconnecting E-Registry with the other applications of the Public Administration Authority, as well as the problems that have arisen with the abolition of the Ship Tax Office and the lack of issues that concern us in the “my requests” application.

3. We submitted a request to the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping to prepare, in collaboration with scientific bodies, a study of the impact of VAT on the viability of our companies.
φορείς μελέτη της επίπτωσης του ΦΠΑ στην βιωσιμότητα των εταιρειών μας.

4. After our recent meeting with the Deputy Minister of Tourism, we sent a relevant letter on the issue of VAT for it to mediate with the Ministry of Finance.

E-REGISTRY: As you may know, the application has various problems and is not connected to the tonnage tax applications and the implementation of the TEPAI. For this reason, a relevant letter was sent to the Ministers of Finance, AADE, and Minister of Digital Governance.

17/9/24 – MEETING WITH MINISTER OF STATE KO VORIDIS ON VAT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES
25/9/24 – MEETING WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR OF AADE ON THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:
TRANSFER TO THE LOW VAT RATE ON CHARTERING MALFUNCTIONS IN THE E-REGISTER APPLICATION CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLOSURE OF SHIP TAX OFFICE ABSENCE OF THE ISSUES THAT CONCERN US IN THE “MY REQUESTS” APPLICATION
25/9/24 – POSTPONEMENT OF THE DISCUSSION IN THE STE OF THE VAT APPEAL
28/1/25 – UPDATE FROM LAWYER MR. SKORINI THAT THE RAPPORTEUR OF THE CASE IN THE STE WITHDRAWN IT FROM THE TABLE AND WILL SEEK A FASTER PROCEDURE FOR IT TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE STE
18/2/25 – PROPOSAL TO THE HCS FOR THE CREATION OF A STUDY ON THE VIABILITY OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE IMPACT OF VAT ON IT

MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

PHARMACY EQUIPMENT
LINESMEN (MOORING ASSISTANCE)
GMDSS
SUPPLY & RECYCLING OF FLARES
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
INFRASTRUCTURE
NON-FREIGHT TRANSPORT REFORMS
ILLEGAL CHARTERING
STAFFING OF PORT AUTHORITIES

PHARMACY: We raised the issue in separate meetings with:
1. Minister of Shipping
2. Secretary General of Shipping and Ports
3. Chief of Staff of the Chief of C.G.
4. Head of the Inspection Branch
5. Office of the Minister of Health
6. HCS

The last action was the meeting with the Director of the Office of the Minister of Health who agreed with the envisaged regulation, contacted the Ministry of Health but unfortunately in view of the reorganization, everything was frozen.

LINESMEN: We participated in the consultation held by the committee established by the Ministry of Shipping on this issue. The information we have is that the committee has reached proposals for legislative regulation which have been delivered to the Secretary General.

GMDSS: We participated in the relevant consultation. The relevant provisions were issued and there is an issue with the inspection time of the EPIRB in relation to the issuance of the PGI (it should not exceed two months.) We are waiting for the change in the leadership of the Coast Guard. to meet with the new Head of the Branch to discuss the issue.

FLARES: There is an issue in the market for flares because of a decision by the Minister of Citizen Protection that requires a police permit granted to the shipowner, which requires the presentation of a certificate from a psychologist. On this issue, the HCS met with the minister, who promised to resolve the issue. There is also the issue of the delivery of expired flares, for which you are seeking a solution.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: The issue of the Ministry of Shipping& lag in the digitalization of its services, mainly in our sector, was raised in meetings with both the minister and the Secretary General of the ministry.

INFRASTRUCTURE: In a meeting we had with the Secretary General of Shipping and Ports, the issue of the lack of berthing facilities, mainly in Attica, was raised, as well as the inadequate infrastructure in the region. The HCSd to create two marinas for professional vessels in Attica was emphasized and the importance and role played by the ports / base marinas of our vessels. The lack of winterizing areas was also emphasized. Accordingly, this issue was presented to both the Minister of State and the Deputy Minister of Tourism.

REFORMS - FREE TRANSPORTATION: In the last meeting with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, the Port Master of the Saronic Gulf was also present and the issue of the reform of free transportation and trial voyages was raised in relation to the personnel on board and their insurance.

ILLEGAL CHARTERING: In the meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Chief of the Hellenic Navy, representatives of the Hellenic Navy Prosecution were present. It was discussed that the prosecution of illegal charters has weakened recently. We were asked to file complaints with the local port authorities and notify the prosecution. We submitted a file with 5 complaints and in the following days 2 more. We were informed that a fine was imposed on one vessel.

PORT AUTHORITIES STAFFING: There is a problem in staffing the Piraeus Registers in principle and according to information we had from the Lefkada port authority that in Lefkada this year we will have a problem in approving departures due to reduced staff. Contacts are being made with the Ministry of the Interior to find a solution.

16/5/24 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS FOR THE SHIPPING BOARD
19/6/24 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE OF THE ELECTRONIC CHARTER AGREEMENT
4/7/24 - PARTICIPATION IN THE CONSULTATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL MARITIME DANGER AND SAFETY SYSTEM GMDSS
23/7/24 - MEETING WITH THE CHIEF OF THE CHIEF OF THE SHIPPING BOARD DISCUSSED: PHARMACY EQUIPMENT, ILLEGAL CHARTERING, THE SPEED OF ENTRY OF COASTAL SHIPPING SHIPS INTO PORTS & THE DECISIONS OF LOCAL PORT AUTHORITIES
30/7/24 – INFORMATION ON POSSIBLE ILLEGAL CHARTERING OF TWO VESSELS WAS SENT TO THE PORT AUTHORITY AND THE CORFU PORT AUTHORITY
8/8/24 – LETTER SENT TO THE MINISTRY OF MARITIME DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF FINANCE & MINISTRY OF DIGITAL GOVERNANCE FOR THE NON- INTERCONNECTIVITY OF THE E-REGISTRY WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE LACK OF PRESENCEFOR OUR SECTOR IN ITS DIGITALIZATION
13/8/24 - SENDING A MEMORANDUM ABOUT PHARMACIES TO THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE CHIEF OF THE Λ.S.
11/12/24 – MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF SHIPPING AND PORTS, EXECUTIVES OF DINETHAT, DLA, &SHIP CONTROL SECTOR TOPICS: PHARMACEUTICALS, NON-FREIGHT TRANSPORT, INSURANCE OF CAPTAINS AND AUXILIARY PERSONNEL WITH WORKING LICENSE, COMPLETION OF THE E-REGISTER, PRESENTATION OF THE PROGRESS OF THE SECTOR
16/1/25 – REQUEST FOR A MEETING FROM DINETHAT TO EFKA WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF SITESAP ON THE ISSUES RAISED AT THE MEETING OF 11/12
29/1/25 – MEETING WITH DIRECTOR OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH ON THE ISSUE OF PHARMACY.

-THE MINISTER OF CITIZEN PROTECTION IN A MEETING HE HAD WITH THE HCS COMMITTED TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE OF FLARES.

-UNDERSTAFFING OF THE REGISTRY OFFICE PIRAEUS

MINISTRY OF TOURISM

MARINAS
MARINA PRICE INCREASES

The issue of the lack of marinas and infrastructure in general was raised, as previously mentioned, with the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ms. Rapti. At the same time, the question was raised of whether compliance with the obligations of the concessionaires in the marinas that were granted is monitored and whether there is any control over the price lists of the marinas, many of which do not even publish price lists.

A similar question was also raised with the Fair Trade Commission.

8/8/24 – LETTER TO THE COMPETITION COMMISSION AND THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM ON THE PRICING POLICY OF MARINAS AND THE CONTINUOUS PRICE INCREASES
25/2/25 – MEETING WITH THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TOURISM ON THE ISSUES OF VAT, PORT FEE INCREASES, CREATION OF NEW MARINAS AND MANAGEMENT AREAS. THE NEXT DAY SPECIFIC LETTER ON THE ISSUE OF VAT WAS SEND
8/8/24 – LETTER TO THE FAIR TRADE COMMISSION AND THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM ON THE PRICING POLICY OF MARINAS AND THE CONTINUOUSPRICE INCREASES
25/2/25 – MEETING WITH THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TOURISM ON THE ISSUES OF VAT, PORT FEE INCREASES, CREATION OF NEW MARINAS AND MANAGEMENT AREAS THE NEXT DAY SPECIFIC LETTER ON THE ISSUE OF VAT WAS SENT

NEXT DAY WAS SENT A SPECIAL LETTER ON THE ISSUE OF VAT

MINISTRY OF INTERIOR

MUNICIPAL FEES ON GROSS TURNOVER

In a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Local Government Mr. Spanakis, the issue of imposing municipal fees on the gross turnover of companies was raised. It was requested that the municipalities be clarified that this concerns businesses licensed by the municipalities.

20/2/25 – MEETING WITH THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ON THE ISSUE OF MUNICIPAL FEES ON GROSS TURNOVER

LOCAL ISSUES

ALIMOS:

13/2/25 – MEETING WITH THE MARINA DIRECTOR INFORMATION ON THE PROGRESS OF THE WORK PREVIOUSLY, 9,8 & 7 PIERS WILL BE READY BEFORE THE START OF THE PERIOD WORKS WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO IMPROVE THE EXISTING FLOATING PIERS THE ISSUE OF HANDLING THE MUD BETWEEN THE WAVEBREAKER AND PIER 1 WAS RAISED, THE NEED TO CREATE A WAITING AREA BETWEEN PIERS 4 & 1 THE EXISTENCE OF AN ELECTRIC SHUTTLE BUS TO TRANSPORT CUSTOMERS AND BAGGAGE FROM THE STRUCTURE TO THE REMOTE PIER THE STATUS OF THE PARKING AREA IN FRONT OF THE STRUCTURE.

LAVRIO:
15/4/24 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS TO THE CONSULTATION FOR THE PRICE LIST.
12/5/24 – MEETING AT THE TAIPED WITH THE PRESIDENT OF ALL ON THE ISSUES OF PRIVATIZATION AND THE PRICE LIST
22/10/24 – UNDER THE AUSPICES AND PARTICIPATION OF SITESAP, A CONFERENCE ON THE IMPACTS OF THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE PORT OF LAVRIO WAS ORGANIZED BY IPPOKAMPOS

LEFKADA:
30/5/24 – MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TRAVELED TO LEFKADA. A MEETING WAS HELD WITH MEMBERS OF THE SITESAP AS WELL AS WITH THE AUTHORITIES TOPICS: PORT AREAS – REMAINING FLOATING PIERCES AND THEIR INTEGRATION IN THE PORT MASTER PLAN
25/9/24 – CESSATION OF OPERATION OF THE BRIDGE DUE TO EXPIRATION OF THE SAFETY CERTIFICATE. – CONTACT WITH THE PORT AUTHORITY – LEGISLATIVE REGULATION
26/2/25 - A COMPETITION WAS ANNOUNCED FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE BRIDGE
6/3/25 - CONTACT WITH THE PORT AUTHORITY ON THE ISSUE OF THE PORT AUTHORITY’S UNDER-STAFFING WITH AN IMPACT ON THE SHIPPING VISAS.

MILOS:
IN THE MEETINGS WITH THE CHIEF OF THE CHIEF OF THE PORT AUTHORITY AND THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF SHIPPING AND PORTS, THE ISSUE OF THE PROHIBITIONS OF THE LOCAL PORT AUTHORITIES AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF MILOS IN THE AREA OF KLEFTIKOS WAS RAISED.

MYKONOS:
25/5/24 – REQUEST FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY FOR CERTIFICATES OF RECORD REGULATION OF MOORING POINTS ON ORNOS

RHODES:
27/5/24 – COMPLAINTS FROM MEMBERS FOR PROHIBITION OF ACCESS TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FLOATING PIER MAYORS DECISION TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VESSELS (ONE VESSEL PER COMPANY)

ORGANIZATIONS

HCS
EPEST
PENETIS
GMA
SKIPPERS
FedHATTA
EBI

The Board of Directors aimed to have the closest and widest possible cooperation with all organizations. There was particular cooperation with the Hellenic Maritime Chamber, which embraced all our issues. A special contribution was made by the Advisor and representative of the tourist boats, Mr. Politis, whom we thank. At the same time, we collaborated more closely with EPEST & PENETIS.

HCS
16/4/24 – MEETING WITH ALL THE YACHTING ASSOCIATIONS
7/10/24 – MEETING WITH ALL THE YACHTING ASSOCIATIONS
26/11/24 – MEETING WITH ALL THE YACHTING ASSOCIATIONS
21/1/25 – NEW YEAR “PITA” – NEW PRESIDENT OF THE HCS
18/2/25 – MEETING WITH ALL THE YACHTING ASSOCIATIONS – FLARES – WORK FINDING PLATFORM HCSJOBS.COM

EBI
Our participation in this association is of great importance because it is at the center of European decisions and cooperates with the European Commission. It is a fact that most institutional frameworks are established by the EU and implemented at the National Level after the issuance of relevant directives. The issuance of a new directive concerning our sector is already being discussed. It is therefore important to participate in the decision-making process.

Among the issues currently being discussed is the establishment of a common vessel navigation license, and after a meeting that the President had with the Secretary General of the EBI on our national issues, we were sent the decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands that justified the shipowners there and their inclusion in the low VAT rate.

17/4/24 – PARTICIPATION IN A CONFERENCE UNDER PANTEIA FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMON VESSEL NAVIGATION LICENSE
26/9/24 – PARTICIPATION IN A TELECONFERENCE OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
21/1/25 – PARTICIPATION IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN DUSSELDORF
23/1/25 – MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF THE EVI ON ISSUES CONCERNING OUR COUNTRY
23/1/25 – MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF THE EVI ON ISSUES CONCERNING OUR COUNTRY

GREEK MARINAS ASSOCIATION
11/7/24 – PARTICIPATION IN A TELECONFERENCE FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A RESEARCH ON THE COUNTRY

PARTICIPATION IN A RELATED QUESTIONNAIRE

31/3/25 – CONFERENCE ON THE SPATIAL PLANNING OF A TOURIST PORT NETWORK IN GREECE.

FedHATTA

Our very good relationship and support for our positions are maintained. In the elections next year, we will elect representatives to the B.O. of the federation, depending on the participants in the elections.

11/9/24 – PARTICIPATION IN A MEETING OF THE B.O.ISSUE THAT CONCERNS US DIRECTLY: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIGITAL EMPLOYMENT CARD

SKIPPERS

MEETINGS WERE HELD WITH THE PRESIDENCY OF THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE PURPOSE OF FINDING COMMON GROUND ON THE ISSUES OF WAGES, OBLIGATIONS / RIGHTS AND SAFETY.

EVENTS

4-8/11/24 – ATHENS BOAT SHOW – PRESENCE OF SITESAP
13/1/25 – NEW YEAR “PITA” CUTTING WITH EPEST
18/2/25 – DECISION TO COOPERATE WITH SUSTAINABLE SAILING GREECE
20-21/2/25 – 4th PANHELLENIC YACHTING CONFERENCE – AEGIDA SITESAP

Once the collaboration with Sustainable Sailing Greece is finalized
an event will be held in the context of environmental protection.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROGRAM
“CHALLENGES IN ENSURING SAFETY AT SEA”

The Board of Directors decided to participate in the said program submitted to the European Commission. The project involves:

GREECE YACHTS CHARTER
YNANP
BODIES AND COMPANIES FROM OTHER 6 COUNTRIES

The aim of the project is to develop a model for the safety of the seas, navigation and securing the maritime borders of the Member States of the European Union by transmitting real-time information to the operations centers from passing vessels in the corresponding areas.

PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEW SEASON
-ENVIRONMENTAL EVENT
-FIRST AID TRAINING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MARINAS
-SEMINAR ON THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE INDUSTRY
-MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS BY REGION.

27/3/25 – The Greater Athens Region – DMMO Forum

The President and the 2nd Vice President participated in the event organized by the Attica Region.

With the participation of institutional and professional tourism bodies (SITESAP was represented by the President and the 2nd Vice President), the Region of Attica and the Destination Management & Promotion Organization (DMMO) held the first strategic dialogue day for the future of tourism in Attica.

The event highlighted the strategic priorities of DMMO and laid the foundations for new synergies, aiming to promote Metropolitan Athens as a sustainable and internationally competitive tourist destination.

31/3/25 – Presentation of a study on the Spatial Planning of a Marina System in Greece

The President attended the day organized by the Association of Greek Marinas. During the day, he was presented by the Associate Professor at the Department of Ports & Shipping Management of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mr. Georgios K. Vangelas the study entitled "Proposals for the Development of a Network of Tourist Ports in Greece & The study is co-authored by Professor at the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Piraeus, Mr. Thanos Pallis, following the initiative and funding of the Association of Greek Marinas (A.M.A.E.) with the approval and positive response of the Ministry of Tourism.