Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis was in Brussels on Friday, where she participated in the high-level roundtable on the European Ocean Pact, organised by the European Commission.

This followed an invitation from the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis.

Speaking during the proceedings, she expressed Cyprus’ readiness to contribute actively to the formulation of the pact, emphasising the sea’s significance for Cyprus and its historical link through traditional activities such as shipping, fishing, and maritime and coastal tourism.

Moreover, participants tackled pressing issues facing the EU’s ocean governance model, including the challenges and priorities for addressing them.

In particular, they explored measures to protect biodiversity and promote ecosystem-based management of the ocean, while also identifying opportunities for sustainable growth and job creation in the EU’s blue economy.

Furthermore, the dialogue focused on supporting the resilience and sustainability of coastal communities and cities across the EU’s various sea basins.

These discussions will, in turn, inform the development of the European Ocean Pact, a key initiative aimed at bringing more coherence across the various policy fields linked to the ocean.

Meanwhile, the Fisheries and Ocean Dialogues will continue with the European Ocean Days in Brussels on March 5.

As part of these discussions, Hadjimanolis stressed that protecting the marine environment and reducing the carbon footprint of shipping and other maritime sectors is vital to Cyprus’ efforts towards sustainable blue growth.

On the sidelines of the meeting, she held a bilateral discussion with Kadis, focusing on maritime transport and the blue economy.

In this context, she outlined the priorities of the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council, as well as the organisation of the European Maritime Day 2026 by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping.

During her stay in Brussels, she also met with Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the chair of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee, Elisabeth Vozemberg-Vryonidi.

In these discussions, Hadjimanolis presented Cyprus’ priorities in maritime transport, stressing the need to safeguard the competitiveness of European shipping, a sector crucial to the EU economy.

Additionally, talks covered upcoming European Commission initiatives set to be reviewed by the EU Council this year and during the Cyprus Presidency in the first half of 2026.

In light of this, she highlighted that shipping will be among Cyprus’ top priorities and outlined the planned actions and initiatives of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping.

Finally, Hadjimanolis met with members of the council’s directorate-general for transport to discuss coordination and planning issues ahead of Cyprus assuming the EU Council presidency.