Commissioner Kallas Confirms New Ports Package for 2013

Visiting the port of Rotterdam today, Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas announced his intention to issue in 2013 a package of proposals to help ports remain competitive and support the huge potential for growth in the port sector. This package is expected to contain measures to support the reduction of the administrative burden in ports, proposals to improve the transparency of port financing as well as proposals on port services.




‘Ports are engines of economic development and sources of prosperity for our cities, regions and countries’, said Commissioner Kallas, ‘But in the next twenty years or so, our many hundreds of seaports will face major challenges in terms of productivity, investment needs, employment as well as integration with port cities and regions. My visit to Rotterdam this week reinforces my conviction of the huge potential that our ports have for growth in the years ahead, but we need to tackle the bottlenecks holding back port development and set out now a more coherent policy on ports and maritime infrastructure. I intend to bring forward proposals for the ports sector in 2013.’

The review of ports policy does not come as a surprise, as it was already listed as one of the action points in the recent Transport Policy White Paper. Concretely, the expected proposals will include measures on market access to port services, improved transparency of port financing and support for measures to cut more red tape in ports. The proposals will tie in with existing initiatives, such as the Blue Belt pilot project. Also, the Commission currently has a number studies running, on port labour, pilotage and State aid in ports. The latter was commissioned by DG Competition.

‘We are ready to have an open-minded dialogue with the Commission on all these topics’, said ESPO Chairman Victor Schoenmakers, ‘We believe that the 2007 Ports Policy Communication is still a good basis for action as it was based on a very extensive stakeholder consultation. We especially need legal certainty to ensure a stable investment climate in our ports. This can best be achieved through soft law measures combined with a case-by-case policy where manifest problems exist. I think the past experience with ports policy has shown us that a “one size fits all” regulatory approach does not work.’

In 2012 the Commission is planning to hold a conference on the future of European ports. Following consultation with stakeholders, and an in-depth impact assessment, the Commission will present its proposals for the port sector in 2013.

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