34th Annual General Meeting of the CSC

15.05.2023

On May 09, 2023, the 34th Annual General Meeting of Cyprus Shipping Chamber members was held at the Four Season Hotel in Limassol. The Unibaltic Group was represented by one of the directors, Mr. Adam Barecki. Among the numerous invited guests, it is worth mentioning the presence of the President of Cyprus, His Excellency Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, Madame Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Annita Demetriou and the Secretary General of the ICS Mr. Guy Platten.
The meeting was divided into two parts. The first closed session was reserved exclusively for members of the Chamber. During it, the results of the election of members to the new Board of Directors of the Chamber were announced. The voting itself took place online a few days earlier. At this point, the Group congratulates all newly elected Directors and wishes them fruitful work for the benefit of the Cypriot maritime industry. After the presentation of the annual report on the activities of the Chamber by the President of the Chamber, Mr. Themis Papadopoulos, and the approval of the annual financial report, there was a short break after which an open session was to be held. The second part of the meeting was officially opened by the President of the Chamber. He started by thanking the President of the Republic and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the commitment of all sides of the political scene to the shipping industry. He mentioned the huge importance of this sector for the economy of Cyprus, which is responsible for 7% of GDP and the creation of thousands of jobs on the island. He saw that Cyprus has a great external image as a quiet place to invest capital and start a shipping business. As a proof, he stated that representatives of Cyprus hold honorable functions in international agencies, such as ESCA and ICS. They also stipulated that we should not rest on our laurels and continue to work hard for the good image of Cyprus and a sustainable future. In the further part of his speech, he mentioned the ongoing war in Ukraine and its impact on the EU environment. There was also a few words about decarbonisation. Cyprus’s support for the establishment of a global surcharge on each tonne of CO2 emitted by a ship to the price of fuel was noted, in order to create a special fund that would deal with the search and development of technology that would bring maritime transport closer to net-zero emissions in 2050. It was also emphasized that the EU decision-makers should take into account the importance of maritime transport for the European economy and adopt laws that are realistic. The need to continue talks with Turkey and international organizations on the lifting of ban on Cypriot ships was also mentioned.
Then, the President of the Republic made an assurance that the government would make every effort to continue to promote and enact laws that would attract investors from abroad. Full support in this regard was also announced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Finally, the ICS Secretary General thanked the CSC for working together towards a sustainable green future. After this speech, a formal luncheon was held.