On Tuesday 20 February, a number of civil society actors were invited to share their observations with MEPs from the transport committee, regarding the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the EU on European maritime transport.
During a speech, Martin Dorsman, the Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) said, “We need to prepare for the worst”. He also said that the United Kingdom leaving the European Union raised several questions regarding labour and commercial law. Mr Dorsman is particularly concerned about market access restrictions being imposed.
Martyn Griffiths, the director of the Europe service’s public affairs at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) was not so concerned about this issue, given that passengers travelling to third countries, such as "Montenegro and Turkey" do not pose any particular problem today. Nonetheless, he did express concerns about the consequences of Brexit on passengers, particularly with regard to visas and social cover, which could have a de facto negative impact on the cruise industry.
Following on from Sue Mackenzie, the director of operations and commercial transformation at P&O Ferries Ltd., these first speakers also demonstrated their determination to limit the negative impact of Brexit and called for the introduction of a transition period.
This was also an objective sought by the port industry. Joachim Coens, the CEO of the Port of Zeebrugge and David Leighton, the director of commercial affairs at the Associated British Ports, spoke in favour of this, particularly in view of preparing for a post-Brexit situation. Eamonn O’Reilly, the CEO of the Port of Dublin, insisted on a "transition period that is as fluid as possible" to avoid the most negative consequences of Brexit.
Mr Coens also advocated the implementation of a broad and clear free trade agreement in an effort to "avoid" the introduction of new customs duties. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)