On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, the event of the official presentation of the Annual Postgraduate Scholarship Program of the Union of Greek Shipowners, for the academic year 2023-2024, took place with particular success, at the Marine Club of Piraeus.
The Union of Greek Shipowners, over time, puts the Education sector and the granting of scholarships at the center of its social work, supporting the new generation practically and essentially. In this context, the scholarship program of the Union of Greek Shipowners for the academic year 2023-2024, "+ENOSIS for Education", offers 100 SCHOLARSHIPS, for studies in Greece and abroad, in postgraduate programs at pre-doctoral level, full one-year or two-year study .
The awarding of the 100 Scholarships is the most extensive scholarship program in the history of the Union of Greek Shipowners and demonstrates in practice that Greek shipping and Greek society are always together!
It is worth noting that the Union of Greek Shipowners, through its collective vehicle of social solidarity and in recent years alone, has offered more than 80,000,000 euros in the fields of health, education, social welfare, food aid, projects of public interest as well as crisis response.
During his greeting at the event, Mr. Yiannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, noted:
"Dear President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, I would like to thank you for the honorable invitation to a very important event, the presentation of the new scholarships. It is a fact that Greek shipping, apart from the fact that it is a very important national asset, in my opinion is also the biggest strategic pillar of the country, contributing the most to our national economy and to the development of our homeland.
In 2022, from the current account balance, the inflowing maritime foreign exchange exceeded 23 billion euros. And officially, therefore, shipping is the most important pillar of the development of our national economy. Therefore, it is important not only to preserve it, but also to strengthen it.
For this reason and in previous years, in cooperation with the Union of Greek Shipowners, we took many important initiatives and, of course, in cooperation with the relevant Ministries, we undertook measures to strengthen the competitiveness of Greek shipping, but also to maintain the stable institutional framework, which is and the growth pillar of Greek shipping. Therefore, we are proud of Greek shipping. However, we are also proud of the great work, Dear President, that you offer to society as a whole.
For many shipping families, giving back to the homeland, to Greek society, is a way of life. And you proved this amply, especially during the pandemic period, where quietly, but effectively and practically, the Greek shipping family supported our homeland in a difficult period for the Greek, but also for the global economy.
So, I want to welcome your initiative today, which supports the most vital part of Greek society – our young men and women, who want to develop, who want to upgrade their level of education.
I want to congratulate you especially because you reward excellence. I want to congratulate you, because you are leading the way, you show a great sensitivity to the issues of our Education and, of course, it is a fact that the very big challenge for all of us, for the Ministry, for the Union, as a whole for the maritime community is how we will attract Greek youth in the maritime profession and more broadly in maritime administration. Our primary goal remains the strengthening and preservation of the Greek navy.
Congratulations Dear President. Let me also congratulate the members of the EEE Board of Directors and wish all of us that the future of Greek shipping remains a pioneer at the global level.
I conclude with something that I have also said publicly: if there was no Greek shipping, there would be - without exaggeration - world trade."
Ms. Melina Travlou, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, said:
“Thank you for joining us today at the official announcement of our Association's annual Graduate Scholarship Program. Today is a day of UNITY, honor and pride.
SYN-UNION, because Greek shipping, Union of Greek Shipowners, also means the union of our shipping with society, a positive sign for the common good, for the good of our country.
The national benefit is historically identified with the Greek shipping. The offer to the homeland she is consistent, quiet, with faith and results.
In addition, as a branch, we are, the only one, and with a collective body of social solidarity. It is worth noting that UGS, through this instrument, has provided, in recent years alone, over 80,000,000 million euros, implementing important projects throughout the country.
The Education and Scholarship Program, for three decades, is in absolute consistency with the social footprint of our Union. We recognize value, reward excellence, honor, through time, the new generation. That's why today is a day of honor. But also an open invitation to participate in our scholarship program.
But it is also a day of pride. For the colleagues who, by joining forces, multiplied the annual number of scholarships of our Union.
The Union of Greek Shipowners grants 100 scholarships, for the year 2023. The largest scholarship program in the history of our Association. We strongly support the young men and women of our country, who believe in themselves, invest in their skills, dream, claim their wants, they follow their vision and we are by their side.
Our resounding message that we send, from here, from the center of world shipping, Piraeus, to the whole world, is that our young men and women are the sign of SYN, they are SYN in our shipping, SYN in our society. It is a positive sign for our future."
The honorable event concluded with messages from scholars of the Greek Shipowners' Union of the previous academic year who mentioned the importance of the Union's scholarship program.