EU alignment on shortsea shipping

The European Union recognizes the pivotal relation and value of shortsea shipping successful achieving the objectives of the greenish transition while safeguarding the prime standards of maritime transport services.

This was the cardinal decision of the argumentation workshop organized by the European Shortsea Network (ESN), attended by EU officials, representatives of European shipowners’ associations, the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), Members of the European Parliament and nationalist Shortsea Promotion Centers. The lawsuit was hosted astatine the premises of the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union successful Brussels.

Ioannis Vrailas, Greece’s Permanent Representative to the EU, opened the workshop with welcoming remarks, stating unequivocally that some the value and the relation of shortsea shipping — arsenic well arsenic that of the ESN — are present widely recognized and acknowledged crossed Europe, peculiarly amid the existent play of geopolitical instability and its multifaceted economical repercussions.

Charalambos Simantonis, president of some the European Shortsea Network and the Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association, stated pursuing the discussions:

“We are afloat satisfied with the result of the discussions and assured that Europe — including its institutions, stakeholders, organizations and the European Commission — understands the value of shortsea shipping for the European system and society. We were peculiarly encouraged by the alignment of views among participants, which intelligibly demonstrates that we stock a communal nonsubjective and person allies successful the challenging way toward the greenish transition. We find the European Union much prepared than ever to instrumentality a realistic, economically sustainable and competitory shortsea shipping framework. What remains is to spot the factual implementation of these strategies done measurable results and wide timelines.”

Simantonis further explained why shortsea shipping is captious to the competitiveness, resilience of supply chains and sustainability of the European economy, arsenic well arsenic to strengthening Europe’s information and geopolitical standing, noting that it:

• ensures the transport of goods within and beyond the EU’s borders;
• serves arsenic the “transport infrastructure” of Europe’s maritime regions, guaranteeing accessibility and determination cohesion; and
• constitutes the astir reliable λύση for shifting freight flows from roadworthy transport corridors to maritime routes.