08 Jul 13 - 16:25
75 % of European external trade by volume and 37% of EU internal trade are carried by shipping
Free movement of goods is a basic freedom under EU law, however it is not yet a reality for the maritime sector. Today a ship moving between Antwerp and Rotterdam is still treated as though it came from China. Why? Because, once ships leave the Member States' territorial waters (beyond 12 miles from shore) they are considered to pass the EU's external borders.
So ships travelling between ports in two different Member States are deemed to have left the EU Customs Territory and customs formalities are required when the vessel leaves the port of departure and again when the vessel arrives at the port of destination, even if both are EU ports.
According to the European Shipowners Association (ECSA) on the basis of information received by their members (shipping companies), savings from simplifying administrative procedures can go up to around 25€ per container.
Apart from saving money, saving time is even more important. Today, a lot of customers (e.g. exporters) choose road transport over maritime transport because of the time constraints.
Share of freight carried inside the EU by transport mode: 45.3% road, 11.0% rail, 3.7% inland waterways, 3.1% pipelines, 36.8% sea (i.e. short sea shipping), 0.1% air
The Blue Belt Communication adopted today not only sets out proposals to create a Blue Belt- an area where ships can operate freely within the EU internal market with the minimum of administrative burden while safety, security environmental protection, as well as customs and tax policies are strengthened but it also proposes the extension of these simplifications to extra-EU voyages by the use of better monitoring and reporting systems.
The Blue Belt proposals go hand in hand with the Ports Policy Review adopted on May 23 2013, which aims to promote the competitiveness of Europe's sea ports and unleash their growth potential
For more information, read EU's Communication - Blue Belt, a Single Transport Area for Shipping
Also read relevant articles issued by EMSA
