Thanasis Davakis, Deputy Minister of National Defence, during the BLUE STRATEGY SUMMIT 2026 conference organised by the Hellenic Shipbuilders’ Association (EEN) at the InterContinental Athens on Monday 25 May under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic, with the support of the Ministries of National Defence, Environment and Energy, Development, Labour and Social Security, Infrastructure and Transport, and Shipping and Island Policy.
As he noted, «ships are a symbol of national power, the development of technical expertise and security» for Greece, emphasising that the Eastern Mediterranean is becoming increasingly important in geostrategic terms. At the same time, he emphasised that strengthening the country’s defence capabilities is directly linked to industry and the economy, which is why the government has given defence procurement programmes a developmental character, through investments in production, technological development and job creation.
The Deputy Minister of National Defence emphasised that the requirement for a minimum 25% level of domestic industry participation in defence procurement programmes «is a strategic choice of national alliance», which strengthens the country’s autonomy and stimulates the domestic production ecosystem. As he noted, the Hellenic Navy in particular is seeking substantial participation by Greek industry, whilst he described as clear both the challenge and the opportunity for the domestic ecosystem to contribute to the shaping of a modern defence and industrial framework across all branches of the Armed Forces.
In concluding his remarks, Mr Davakis congratulated the Hellenic Shipbuilders« Association on organising the initiative and wished it »every success, with fruitful dialogue and meaningful conclusions”.
Watch the entire EEN Blue Strategy Summit 2026, as broadcast live on its YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po-OwjiZSYQ