On April 2nd, 2021, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) and the Regulatory Authority of Ports (R.A.F.P.) was signed by the Chairman of the HCC, Professor Ioannis Lianos and the President of R.A.F.P, Dr. Panagiotis - Iasonas Angelopoulos, for the consolidation and strengthening of the cooperation between the two Authorities, through the utilization of their experiences, as well as the development of closer ties between them.

The HCC, as the competent authority and in charge according to Law 3959/2011 with the preservation of free competition and R.A.F.P as the competent regulator for the shipping industry and the rapporteur for the exercise of contractual rights of the Greek state deriving from port concession contracts, agreed by this Memorandum to the establishment of strategic cooperation between them and, in particular, in:

• strengthening existing cooperation,
• the exchange of specialized knowledge and utilization of the experiences of the two Authorities with the aim of the healthy development of ports and their associated facilities, and the operation of competition within them (intra-port competition) and between them (inter-port competition), and
• the comprehensive and effective decision-making on the basis of timely and effective cooperation and exchange of information and views in the areas of cooperation of the two Authorities.

Particular emphasis was placed on the establishment of joint working groups for the development of guidelinesand the undertaking ofstudies and research on issues of common interest, within the competences of the two Authorities.

The two Authorities agreed, inter alia, to undertake campaigns to promote policies and strategies in order to inform economic operators / participants in the port industry, in matters related to the competencies of the two Authorities, for the benefit of the society, the economy and the public interest.

The President of R.A.F.P, referring to the memorandum, stressed that: “The signing of the memorandum of cooperation between the two authorities, confirms the already excellent cooperation in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual assistance. What is needed now is to increase regulatory efficiency in a technically efficient way, in order to stimulate competition for the benefit of companies in the industry and ultimately the consumer”.

The President of the HCC mentioned the following: “Through the initiative we have undertaken during the last year to sign memoranda of cooperation with the independent sector-specific regulators, to which R.A.F.P responded immediately, we aim at the optimal interaction between ex ante regulatory policy and ex-post application of competition law in port services. We expect that with the substantial cooperation, the exchange of know-how of the two sides and the implementation of the described actions, consumers and businesses will benefit in various ways”.