Athens, 07/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The concerns highlighted in a declaration adopted on Tuesday 7 May at the end of the informal European transport ministers meeting in Athens include liberalisation, state aid, piracy and illegal immigration.
According to the “Athens Declaration”, of which EUROPE was able to obtain a provisional version, European ministers have agreed that the EU and its members should “step up their efforts to ensure free market access and more trade liberalisation in maritime services”, which will be done in a variety of ways, particularly through reciprocal free-trade agreements. The EU28 also highlighted the need to maintain a state aid system for maritime transport “in order to obtain and maintain a level playing field with non-EU countries in the area of competition in the European maritime sector”.
Ministers expressed their concerns about piracy and called for European and international action to be stepped up in this field. Member states and the European Commission are called on to develop a European maritime security strategy. The question of illegal immigration was also touched on and ministers responsible for maritime affairs called for better collaboration between national authorities, coastguards and the FRONTEX agency. The declaration also highlights the importance of promoting short-distance maritime routes, as well as seafaring careers. The Athens Declaration was perceived as a mid-term review in European maritime transport policy drawn up in a Communication for the 2009-2018 period. (MD)