Kikilias announces ferry support package to curb fare increases

A bundle of support measures for the shipping industry, amounting to 55-57 cardinal euros and aimed astatine containing summons prices, was presented to Parliament connected Thursday by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias.

As helium pointed out, this inaugural is being taken during a hard juncture, arsenic shaped by the war successful the Middle East and the emergence successful substance costs. Kikilias emphasized that the government’s superior nonsubjective is to forestall the passing connected of accrued substance costs to passengers, so that summons prices stay astatine affordable levels for the mean Greek national and the Greek family, while simultaneously ensuring uninterrupted entree to the islands.

In this context, helium highlighted that the aggravated fluctuations successful planetary lipid prices importantly load the cognition of shipping companies, arsenic each summation of 10 dollars per tube entails an further outgo that tin scope up to 10 cardinal euros per month.

The total outgo of the situation is already estimated astatine betwixt 36-40 cardinal euros, creating unit some connected the sustainability of the assemblage and connected the regular lives of citizens who beryllium connected maritime transport. Through the promoted bundle of measures, the State assumed the sum of the outgo of mandatory discounts already provided by shipping companies.

In this way, the companies are supported without transferring the other outgo to passengers, while simultaneously creating conditions of stability for the market. Kikilias noted that this involution has a strong κοινωνικά footprint, arsenic it covers a wide scope of κοινωνικά groups already entitled to mandatory discounts connected ferry tickets, such arsenic students with a 50% discount, children with discounts reaching up to 75% oregon afloat exemption depending connected age, ample families with a 50% discount, radical with disabilities and reduced mobility with a 50% discount.

At the aforesaid time, special categories such arsenic imperishable residents of small islands are besides covered within the model of insular policy. This ensures that these discounts are maintained successful their entirety without burdening either the citizens oregon the viability of the routes.

Closing, the Minister pointed retired that the State is intervening successful a just and balanced manner, strengthening a captious assemblage of the system and ensuring the country’s insular cohesion, adjacent successful periods of planetary uncertainty.