“The Commission is aware of the importance of tonnage tax for Greece and other EU member states and is not considering to change the guidelines on the issue” Ms. Bulc noted in Posidonia 2016, a prestigious maritime event held in Athens, Greece.
She added that the Commission seeks the proper implementation of the existing directive regarding taxation and therefore it is continuing its dialogue with all interested parties.
For that reason, Ms. Bulc noted that, beyond the preliminary investigation on the taxation carried out by the Commission, an in depth investigation will also follow. Her remarks led to the dissatisfaction of the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, so Ms. Bulc retracted her remarks and again, reassured the Union, the current course of dialogue will continue.
Among the Commission's priorities is the emphasis on technological developments, the protection of the environment and security in shipping. In this context the European Commission is promoting better digitization conditions for a single European transport market and better potential for investments, Ms. Bulc said.
She also underlined the creation of a special electronic trading platform for the maritime sector which will be announced at a conference in Rotterdam in June.
“Shipping is a global activity and for this reason we are in contact with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)” the Commissioner added.