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A competitive environment for european shipping (*)
Protraeted diseussions
Alfons Guinier
The creation of a competitive operating environment for European
shipping is for a long ti me high on the agenda of ECSA and by implication
on the agenda of the European Institutions.
Indeed, the discussions on support measures in the European shipping
sector started already in the 80 ties. The reason was dear. Since the
beginning of the 80 ties the share of the EEC registered fleet decreased
from 29.6 % in 1979 to about 14-15 % in the 90 ties. This had also self
evident consequences on employment with a reduction of about 45-50 %
of EC seafarers on EC vessels.
This evolution was in sharp contrast with the importance in trade and
shipping of the EC in that period :
With about 25 % of \Vorld trade the EC \Vas one of the key players in
warld economy
90 % of the Community's extemal trade \Vas carried by sea
33 % of the intra-Community trade was carried by sea (1 l.
Whereas some Mernber States had taken individually rneasures to
controlJrernedy the above anornaly and safeguard their national shipping
and mariti me kno\v ho\v and to improve the structural competitive position
of the sector versus global cornpetition, it took about 15 years for the
EC/EU to develop a concrete poli c)' in this respecl.
We learnt from inner circles that is \\'a5 Commissioner Narjes - then
in charge of Industr)' (DG III for insiders) - who in the rnid-80's launched
in intra-Cornmission discussions the idea of support measures for European
shipping.
The idea was not progressed.
Commissioners Contegeorgis and Lord Clinton-Da,,;s also worked out
some ideas on positive measures for European shipowners bul, in the
event, nothing \vas agreed.
In 1986, the so-called first phase of the EU shipping policy was es-
(*) Report made at Congress on "Ul fìscalità marillil11a nel!'(]nimle Europea: le
prospettive italial1e", held on 2th apriI 2001 in the Unh'ersiry "La Sapienza" or Rome.
(1) Tnformation source: ECSA
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