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ber State or Mercosur will also be beneficiaries if their ships are registered in an EU Member State or Mercosur according to its legislation and fly the flag of an EU Member State or Mercosur%u201d.This clause is included in a series of EU bilateral trade agreements with third countries (e.g., China, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Indonesia). It derives from Regulation 4055/1986 (Article 2, paragraph 1) on the freedom to provide maritime transport services (OJ L 378, 31.12.1986, pp. 1%u20133), where Greece had the foresight to include its system among the beneficiaries at a time when it was least expected.It is particularly gratifying for me, as I paved the way for this development in my capacity as co-rapporteur of the European Economic and Social Committee's opinion on the 1986 maritime policy package of Regulations. Historically speaking, this was the first legislative package of the EU and included Regulations 4055/1986, 4056/1986, 4057/1986, and 4058/1986. The EESC produced a substantiated opinion on the package in a series of meetings in Copenhagen and Piraeus, due to the nationalities of the two rapporteurs, Knud Mols S%u00f8rensen, high priest of the International Transport Workers%u2019 Federation (ITF), and myself, in my capacity as Director of International and European Affairs at the Union of Greek Shipowners. We were assisted by Professor John Tzoannos and Mrs Belinda Pyle, who served as experts to the rapporteurs.Characteristically, it is mentioned in the opinion on the Regulation %u201con freedom to provide maritime transport services%u201d (OJC 212, 23/8/1985, pp 2-21): %u201cThe EESC therefore recommends that the Regulation should also refer to the nationality of the service provided, i.e., to the flag. Article 1(1) should therefore be amended by adding at the end %u201cor of vessels flying the flag of a member state%u201d. Since non-EU companies owned the bulk of the Greek flag fleet, it was not covered by the proposed criterion of a company of a Member State. As co-rapporteur, I thought it expedient to propose an alternative criterion: the flag of a Member State. The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy promoted the EESC proposal. It was taken into account by the Council in the final text of Regulation 4055/1986 (under the British Presidency).%u00a0 Indeed, the Regulation %u201ctakes a photo%u201d of the Greek ship registration system reproduced in the beneficiaries of the Mercosur agreement: EU-flagged ships owned by non-EU companies, majority-controlled by EU nationals.In addition to its evident economic advantages, the Greek shipping clause in the EU-Mercosur agreement also recognises the geopolitical importance of Greek shipping and of Greece for the EU. The agreement should also be viewed in this light, and one can only hope that it disentangles itself from the remaining obstacles and finally enters into force.EU-Mercosur AgreementMay 2026 131