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European Commission
DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

EU Maritime Policy:
Facts and Figures – Greece

Some general figures: Employment in maritime activities2:

• Greece has a coastline of 13,780 km1 including 6,000 islands and Coastal tourism: 195,739 jobs
islets that make up around half of the country’s coastline. Fisheries3: 37,701 jobs
• Out of the Greek population, 33 % lives in coastal cities or vil- Shipping: 30,920 jobs (200,000 including indirect employment)
lages not more than 2 km from the coast. Maritime services (maritime education and training, coast guard,
• Tourism and shipping are important pillars of the Greek econo- shipbrokers, maritime law, classification societies): 9,961 jobs
my. In 2005 the goods handled in all Greek ports amounted to Recreational boating (boatbuilding, marine equipment manufac-
151 million tonnes and the number of passengers who transited turing, trade and services): 4,270 jobs
through these ports amounted to 86 million. Marine equipment: 3,281 jobs
Shipbuilding: 3,174 jobs
Most significant maritime activities:
• Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the EU: 2,999 vessels
controlled in 2005 which make up about half of the total EU
deadweight tonnage (data comprises ships of 1,000 GRT and
over). The Greek owned merchant fleet (under national and other
flags) is one of the largest in the world. The vessels sailing the
national flag made up one quarter of the total Greek-controlled
fleet in 2005.
• The country is ranked 15th worldwide as a tourist destination.
Tourism contributes more than 18 % to the annual Gross National
Product (GNP), generating approximately 20 % of employment
and contributing substantially to regional development.
• The fisheries sector in Greece employs 37,701 persons. The coun-
try’s fishing fleet is characterised by its large share of small scale
coastal vessels. Out of some 18,000 units, more than 16,900
Venetian harbour in Rethymnon, Crete
are under 12 metres. About 20 % of EU vessels are registered in LAIF
Greece but in terms of tonnage these account for only 4.7 % of
the EU total fleet. In 2004, Greek vessels landed 90,000 tonnes
of fish at a value of € 284 million. In addition, the country has an
important aquaculture sector, which in 2005 produced 106,208 2
Employment data sources: European Commission, DG Fisheries and Maritime
tonnes at a value of € 345.5 million (4th place in the EU in terms Affairs studies: “Employment trends in all sectors related to the sea or using
of value). sea resources” and “Employment in the fisheries sector”. As the methodology
for data collection and the definition of maritime sectors vary from country
to country, the employment figures on this fact sheet should be regarded as
indicative.
3
Data comprise employment in fishing, fish processing and aquaculture.

1
Eurosion Study: Calculation of coast length based on cartography of all conti-
nental and insular coasts excluding islands less than 1 km2 and with a popu-
lation less than 50 persons, inland shores, fjords etc where the mouth is less
than 1 km wide.

http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs
Potential for development:
• The tourism sector has the potential to create further 150,000
jobs between 2003 and 2010.
• Greece has an extensive maritime education and training system
(Merchant Marine Academies operating in nine locations across
the country), aiming to continuously attract young people to the
seafaring profession. There are, however, no training institutions
for fishermen.
• Ports play a crucial role in coastal regions and islands, and help
preserve social cohesion and cultural diversity. The Community
structural funds (ERDF and Cohesion Fund) have invested since
1986 very large sums of EU aid for the development of the Greek
ports and effort will continue in the future. This, together with
opportunities that are expected to result from Joint Partnerships
of the public and private sector, and the help of the European
investment Bank, will assist the Greek government in developing
port infra- and superstructures with the ultimate aim of improv-
ing the level of services offered to the users.
Some challenges:
• Illegal immigration by sea poses a continuous problem due to
the length of the sea border to patrol and to the proximity with
regard to third countries of origin and transit. Hundreds of often
uninhabited islands in the Aegean Sea make it even more dif-
ficult to combat this activity.
• Climate change and related threats to the coastal regions are
an important challenge for Greece, so is the effort to fight ac-
cidental sea pollution from ships and to reduce pollution from
land-based sources.
Importance of maritime policy:
A number of proposals for actions outlined in the Communication
from the Commission on a Maritime Policy for the European Union
are particularly relevant for Greece, including:
• actions towards the creation of a Common European Maritime
Transport Space and new ports policy that takes into account the
multiple roles of ports, with an aim to preserve and increase the
competitiveness and sustainability of the EU shipping and ports
industries;
• supporting sustainable development of the coastal and marine
tourism, e. g. through promotion of maritime heritage and fa-
cilitating sustainable development of leisure ports and the cruise
sector, as well as by investigating ways to reconcile the needs of
tourism industry with the demands of other maritime activities;
• ensuring the sustainability of the fisheries and aquaculture sec-
tors in harmony with marine ecosystems;
• promoting cooperation under the European Neighbourhood
Policy in the maritime field, especially with regard to the man-
agement of shared seas;
• facilitating and optimising the support for maritime regions
under the range of the community funding instruments already
available;
• aiming at reducing the impact of climate change, including ex-
treme weather events, on the coastal zones and addressing other
risks faced by the coastal regions, such as coastal erosion, pollu-
tion from ships, or illegal immigration by sea;
• preserving the European maritime skills base, providing young
Europeans with better career prospects in the maritime sectors,
including establishment of a Certificate of Maritime Excellence,
as well as improving the image of the maritime professions, in
particular with regard to seafaring and fishing.
Further information:
http://europa.eu
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/study_employment_en.html
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/publications/studies_reports_en.htm
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/
http://www.eurosion.org
http://www.minenv.gr/4/41/e4100.html
http://www.yme.gr
http://www.ypetho.gr
http://www.gnto.gr
Sources:
• “Employment in the fisheries sector: current situation”, European Commission,
DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, 2006
• “Employment trends in all sectors related to the sea or using sea resources”,
European Commission, DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, 2006
• “Energy & Transport in figures 2006”, The European Commission, DG Transport
and Energy
• “EU-25 Fishing Fleet in 2006”, Eurostat, Data in focus 11/2007
• “Facts and Figures on Common Fisheries Policy”, European Commission,
DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, 2006
• Greek National Tourism Organisation
• “Living with Coastal Erosion in Europe: Sediment and Space for Sustainability”,
Results from the Eurosion Study, European Commission, DG Environment,
KL-78-07-375-EN-C
2004
• “Maritime transport of goods and passengers 1997–2005”, Eurostat, Statistics
in focus 94/2007
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