A number of national cases and studies will be highlighted to look at what could be solutions to attract, recruit and retain more Europeans to work in the industry.

Event organised by European Transport Workers’ Federation and the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union

Following the initiative of Norwegian Seafarers’ Union, the European Transport Workers’ Federation is hosting the event in collaboration with a number of our affiliates from France, Sweden, and Spain.

We would like to invite the audience to think about ways to make the seafaring profession truly attractive to European maritime professionals. In many European countries, the number of EU/EEA seafarers is declining or stagnating, and the number of vessels registered in the EU overall is falling. At the same time, however, there is a growing shortage in particular of chief engineers and high-skilled officers. These highly professional workers are of significant importance if Europe is to develop further and ensure the sustainability of its maritime economy and maritime clusters.

In light of this, what can Europe do to attract more Europeans to work at sea? The event will base the discussion on the realities and national examples from various European countries – Norway, France, Sweden, and Spain. We invite Members of European Parliament, Member States representatives and the European Commission, to join us in opening the discussion on which measures to adopt. All other relevant stakeholders, such as shipowners, employers from the maritime industry, and academics, are also welcome to join and to engage in the debate.

We look forward to welcoming you at our event.