* * * Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure for me to be with you today, especially since this year has been proclaimed “Year of Shipping” for the EU and marks the entry of the Union of Greek Shipowners into its second century, after it celebrated its centennial last year. I will start my speech with an overview of international economic developments.
Finally the most important in our democracies is the quality of information, the overall lucidity of the large public opinion. Again, this, I think, is the main issue.