By Martin Banks - 22nd January 2009
This will be beneficial for the environment and for the economy
Antonio Tajani
The European commission has unveiled an ‘action plan’ designed to boost the use of maritime transport in Europe.
The aim of the so called "blue paper", it says, is to curb demand for road haulage and reduce the ever-spiralling cost of moving goods by road and rail.
“By making maritime transport more attractive, these measures will lead to a more balanced use of transport modes,” said EU transport commissioner Antonio Tajani.
“This will be beneficial for the environment and for the economy.”
He said the creation of a single market in 1993 has helped “streamline” the administrative burden for land-based transport.
Maritime transport, however, remains subject to “complicated” administrative procedures even if a vessel is travelling between two EU ports, he said.
Administrative complexity remains the norm and, he says, discourages numerous users from using maritime transport.
The legislative measures he announced on Wednesday are aimed, primarily, at simplifying such procedures.
Pointing out that Europe has a coastline of 100,000km and 1200 trading ports, Tajani said maritime is a “viable solution” for transporting goods traded in the EU.
The package of measures was welcomed by the Rennes-based Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), whose president Claudio Martini said, “We are delighted with it.
“The CPMR has been working on this issue for a long time. The commission has taken an important step to making maritime transport more competitive,” he said.
Martini, whose organisation represents 160 maritime regions, said the plan was “crucial” in helping to reduce congestion on Europe’s clogged-up roads.
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