The Presidency of the Council of the European Union has granted official patronage to the forthcoming European Shipping Week (ESW) which will be held in Brussels during March 2‐6, 2015. This support joins the European Parliament’s official patronage by its President, Mr Martin Schulz, and that of the European Commission.
In a letter to Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), Anrijs Matiss, Latvian Minister of Transport, gave his full support to the week-long event.
He said: “Taking into account the vital importance of the shipping industry for the European economy and society, I would be honoured to grant the patronage of the European Shipping Week and would like to express my full support to the event, aimed at facilitating discussions between the EU institutions and European shipowners and other stakeholders from the shipping sector.”
European Shipping Week is the brainchild of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations and will feature a variety of high-level events. All key European shipowners and stakeholders will be present during the week as the event provides an excellent opportunity to engage with policy makers and legislators from the EU to help shape the future regulatory direction of the maritime industry.