Brussels, 04/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Speaking at the international conference on the Union's future maritime policy, held in Bremen (northern Germany) on 2-4 May at the initiative of the German EU presidency (see EUROPE 9419), the vice president of the Commission responsible for transport, Jacques Barrot, defined the stakes involved in the future Union maritime transport system. He undertook to appoint a European coordinator for the motorways of the sea “in coming weeks”. Predicting 50% growth in port traffic by 2015, Mr Barrot also stressed the importance of a European port policy that gives priority to shorter haul maritime links and optimised use of overland transport.
Evoking “co-modal logistics” as the main challenge facing the maritime sector, Mr Barrot stressed that an effective multi-modal system that combines all modes of transport is of vital interest for European enterprise. Thus, the development and the setting up of modern techniques for tracking and telecommunication - such as the Galileo satellite navigation system, management of the merchant fleet, the monitoring of sensitive or dangerous cargoes, optimisation of loading and unloading, and the optimisation of port capacities and routes, and the creation of a joint maritime area - will allow the internal maritime market to be consolidated and make it possible to develop short distance maritime links, as an alternative to road transport. “In the next few weeks I shall be appointing a European coordinator for the motorways of the sea”, he said.
As far as the social chapter of the future maritime policy is concerned, Mr Barrot supported the idea of consolidating the “maritime cluster” mentioned earlier that day by Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for maritime policy, as a contribution to the economic and industrial development of maritime regions. The top priority of the future maritime transport should therefore, according to Mr Barrot, be the revitalisation of the maritime professions in order to improve maritime security by strengthening the size and the proficiency of crews, and by holding social dialogue. “Europe must contribute with measures to promote maritime careers”, he said, before going on to say it is necessary to implement the ILO convention on maritime standards.
To raise the third challenge - minimisation of the environmental impact - Mr Barrot advocates the development of research and innovation. Saying that maritime transport pollutes less than other modes of transport, he nonetheless noted that the setting up of measures “to reduce the polluting emissions produced by maritime transport” was a precondition to promoting the growth of maritime transport. The development of more performant diesel engines, on one hand, and of new fuels, such as bio-diesels, on the other, could be ways to reduce emissions from the maritime sector. (aby)