Brussels, 20/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for Transport has visited the port of Antwerp in Belgium, Europe's second port in terms of size. This gave her the opportunity to familiarise herself with stakes of importance to the shipping sector.
Violeta Bulc and a delegation from DG Move visited the port infrastructure on 19 January. With Antwerp placed as an incoming port for many goods into the EU, she was able to see for herself that a good connection with the interior of countries is vital and referred, amongst other things, to the need to focus on river transport, the specialist Belgian magazine Flows reports.
Following her visit, the Commissioner declared that Europe needs “a top-quality shipping sector that can compete internationally, as it's a key pillar of the European economy”. The EU controls 40% of the world's gross tonnage and more than 75% of EU trade is carried by sea.
She added that the shipping industry has an opportunity to increase its competitiveness and become “greener” through technology and innovation. She referred particularly to alternative fuels and the need to benefit from digitalisation. The industry should be proactive in raising standards, the Commissioner added.
The visit of the representatives of the European Commission to Antwerp was co-organised by the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA), which hopes that it will help the European decision-makers to improve their understanding of the complexity of the shipping sector. (Marie-Pauline Desset)