Transport Equivalent: 23.2 million euros paid to islanders

A sum of 23,226,319.34 euros has been paid to more than 281,000 islanders under the Transport Equivalent, according to an announcement by the Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Stefanos Gikas. The payment, as stated, settles the Transport Equivalent for Passengers for the year 2025, closing an entire cycle of applications and settlements. In the same announcement, 60 million euros is budgeted to be allocated during 2026 for the measure, a sum that includes both outstanding balances and current payments. All figures are attributed entirely to the government announcement and have not been verified by an independent source.

The Transport Equivalent was established to limit the additional cost borne by permanent island residents each time they move to and from the mainland. The logic of the measure is to bring the cost of ferry transport closer to that of an equivalent land route, so that the sea does not function as a permanent economic penalty for living on an island. In practice a beneficiary receives a refund of part of the ticket price, while a corresponding component is provided for freight transport as well. Settling arrears from previous years has been a persistent demand of island bodies, as delays shift to households a cost already paid.

The distribution per island, as given in the announcement, clearly reflects the size of each population. Rhodes accounts for 2,417,988.23 euros, Lesbos 1,739,359.10 euros and Chios 1,594,994.55 euros. These are followed by Corfu with 585,647.25 euros and Skiathos with 493,452.58 euros, while Samothrace receives 50,264.04 euros and Gavdos 219.52 euros. The gap between the highest and lowest figure is striking, but it does not reflect differential treatment: each island’s amount results from the number of eligible persons and movements declared, and Gavdos, with a few dozen permanent residents, by definition registers minimal applications compared to Rhodes.

Given that 60 million euros is budgeted for the whole of 2026, this payment represents less than 40 per cent of the annual budget for the measure, meaning further payments are expected during the year. No detailed schedule has been announced for subsequent instalments, nor when the platform will open for applications of the current period. For small and remote islands, where ferry connections are often sparse and expensive, the issue is not exhausted by the level of subsidy but also concerns the frequency of routes. Paying for one year within the next means moreover that households front the cost and recover it with a delay of months—a parameter that weighs especially on those who travel frequently for health or education reasons. The Transport Equivalent is part of the broader framework of state interventions for accessibility, as is the “Tourism for All” platform for 2026-2027, while island cohesion also connects to infrastructure projects such as the Great Sea Interconnector.