Progress is being recorded in the licensing process for waterways in the country, as positive opinions have been issued to date for 29 requests for establishment and/or operation, while four more cases of concession of port areas are in the final stage of approval. These data are included in the official response of the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, to the parliamentary question of MP Kyriakos Velopoulos (no. prot. 6077/12.06.2025).
As it is clarified, the overall coordination of the licensing framework, including the issuance of Joint Ministerial Decisions (JMD), is the responsibility of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. It is also noted that the establishment of waterways is carried out exclusively at the initiative of interested parties and investors.
At this point, it is emphasized that the competent services of the Coast Guard – Hellenic Coast Guard examine the technical files on issues of navigation safety, protection of the marine environment, and policing of the areas, based on the provisions of Law 4663/2020. It is characteristic, as already mentioned, that so far, they have given a positive opinion on 29 requests, while one is under processing.
At the same time, the services of the General Secretariat of Shipping and Ports check the compatibility of the proposed projects with the operation of the ports and approve the concession of the required areas. Seven concession requests have been approved, while four more are in the approval process, based on article 24 of Law 2971/2001.
