The priorities of Cyprus’ upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the shipping sector were discussed this week during a meeting between the Cyprus Union of Shipowners (CUS) and President Nikos Christodoulides at the presidential palace.

According to a statement, the Union’s delegation, led by president Polys V. Hajioannou and vice president Andreas Hadjiyiannis, met the President in the context of Cyprus assuming the EU Council Presidency, using the opportunity to exchange views on issues of strategic importance for Cypriot shipping.

At the centre of the discussion was the role the Presidency can play in strengthening the institutional and international standing of the sector, particularly at a time when shipping is increasingly recognised as critical to Europe’s economic stability.

In that context, reference was made to the shipping-related priorities of the Cyprus Presidency, which aim to emphasise the sector’s strategic importance for the EU, both in safeguarding supply-chain resilience and in supporting economic growth and competitiveness across the bloc.

The meeting also touched on the decarbonisation of shipping, with emphasis placed on the need for a realistic and technically feasible approach, pursued within the framework of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), while preserving its international and technical character.

At the same time, it was stressed that the positions of major maritime powers, including the US and China, should be taken into account, particularly their reservations regarding regulatory models based solely on taxation.

Ultimately, the objective, as noted, is to safeguard the technical role of the IMO and prevent its evolution into a mechanism of global fiscal redistribution.