According to the European Commission's mid-term review on the implementation of the maritime sector strategy, which was published on Monday 3 October, two of the main obstacles to European competitiveness remain the complexity of administrative procedures and the lack of coordination.
The current trend is towards concentration of maritime traffic which requires faster administrative procedures, as well as better logistical coordination of the operations. The Commission regards the digitalisation of the services as "crucial" if administrative procedures are to be simplified. The Commission has based its conclusions on a public consultation carried out in 2015 (see EUROPE 11245). This digitalisation of services would facilitate more efficient management of freight flows through smoother flows of information on cargo, infrastructure and equipment, said the Commission.
The Commission has also identified a number of other major challenges to tackle:- the deficit in public administration resources, particularly in the maritime safety and security domain, as illustrated by the situation in Portugal (see EUROPE 11636); - low per barrel oil prices, which discourages operators and industries from investing in alternative energies and new technologies; - the European maritime sector's loss of ground to emerging new intercontinental maritime routes;- and the lack of qualified and skilled personnel.
More generally, the Commission notes that one of the effects of the 2008 crisis was to provoke overproduction in the number of vessels compared to the volume of merchandise transported. This effectively led to a hardening in international competition and subsequently triggered concentration and a vertical integration process involving sector operators.
The Commission is therefore highlighting the need to direct investment towards infrastructure that has the most added value for European maritime transport. Judging by the most recent European Court of Auditors' report, which sharply criticised the inefficiency of the European funding in Union ports last September, this is a huge area requiring action (see EUROPE 11631). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)