Background information

On 23 March 2026, following the armed conflict in the Middle East and the resulting increase in energy costs, the Prime Minister of Greece announced four economic support measures, amounting to EUR 300 million, to help society address the impact of the war in the Middle East. One of these measures concerns financial support for ferry companies. The aim of the measure is to prevent the increased operating costs of ferry companies from being passed on to passengers and to contain ticket prices, particularly for families, vulnerable groups and island residents. The measure was introduced through an amendment incorporated into a bill of the Ministry of Development, Law No 5297/2026 (Government Gazette A’ 64/28 April 2026), Article 253, following an initiative by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy. The specific terms, conditions and procedure for the payment of the support are to be set out in a joint ministerial decision by the competent ministries.

Content of measure

This measure provides state compensation to ferry operators that run maritime cabotage services and are required to apply social fare discounts on ferry tickets. It covers part of the cost previously borne by the companies for legally mandated discounts granted to specific passenger groups.Eligible categories include, among others, students, who receive a 50% discount; children, with discounts of up to 75% or full fare exemption depending on age; large families, with a 50% discount; persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, with a 50% discount; low-income passengers, who are exempt from paying the fare; and accompanying persons. The measure also covers specific groups such as permanent residents of small islands, in line with Greece’s insular policy. The total support amounts to around EUR 56 million. The aid is paid to ferry operators rather than directly to passengers, as compensation for the mandatory discounts they provide. The amount granted in each case is not set at a flat rate, but depends on the value and volume of eligible mandatory discounts applied by each operator.

Use of measure

There is no available information regarding the implementation of the initiative

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Company / Companies	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

Before the announcement of the measure, there was a meeting between Greek government officials and representatives of the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies (SEEN) to discuss measures to address the increase in energy costs.

Views and reactions

On March 20th, Greek government officials and representatives of the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies (SEEN) met to discuss a €56 million support package. Ferry operators welcomed the measure, calling it a step in the right direction under current economic conditions. Speaking to Capital.gr, the President of SEEN and Deputy CEO of Attica Group, Mr. Theodoratos, confirmed that ticket prices will remain stable with no increases planned for the immediate future. However, due to the ongoing volatility and unpredictable developments of the war, he emphasized that these financial measures must be re-examined on a monthly basis. The conflict has heavily impacted coastal shipping, loading companies with an additional €18 million in fuel costs so far. A similar financial burden is anticipated for the upcoming month, highlighting the industry's continued vulnerability to global fuel market spikes despite the temporary relief provided by the state's subsidy program.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 23 March 2026: Δήλωση του Πρωθυπουργού Κυριάκου Μητσοτάκη για τα νέα μέτρα οικονομικής στήριξης της κοινωνίας από τις επιπτώσεις του πολέμου στη Μέση Ανατολή (www.primeminister.gr)
• 24 March 2026: Β. Κικίλιας: Η κυβέρνηση στηρίζει την κοινωνία – 56 εκατ. ευρώ για τη συγκράτηση των τιμών στα εισιτήρια (www.ynanp.gr)
• 24 March 2026: Επιδότηση ακτοπλοϊκών: Δε θα υπάρξουν ανατιμήσεις το επόμενο διάστημα δηλώνουν οι εταιρείες (www.capital.gr)
• 02 April 2026: Nόμος 5292 Κύρωση της από 25.3.2026 Πράξης Νομοθετικού Περιεχομένου (www.kodiko.gr)
• 23 April 2026: Τροπολογία Υπ. Ανάπτυξης: Αποζημίωση των ακτοπλοϊκών για υποχρεωτικές εκπτώσεις (www.naftemporiki.gr)
• 28 April 2026: Νόμος 5297/2026 (ΦΕΚ Α' 64/28-04-2026) - αρθρο253 (www.taxheaven.gr)