EU to ease Customs formalities to favour short-sea shipping

Outlining the proposals, Siim Kallas, the Commission’s vice-president responsible for Transport, said: “Europe is faced with major challenges in terms of rising congestion and pollution.  We need short-sea shipping to fulfil its potential and provide a low cost, environmentally-friendly transport solution, taking more goods off our congested roads”.

Welcomed by European shipowners and port bodies, the move would put the proposals in place by 2015, creating a “Blue Belt” as part of a step toward a single EU shipping market.

There are two parts to the proposals.  The first, aimed at intra-EU shipping, would see the ‘Regular Shipping Services’ procedures for shipping companies transporting mainly EU goods on regular routes within the EU upgraded.  This would make the procedures shorter and more flexible.  The second relates to ships carrying both EU and non-EU goods that stop frequently at EU and non-EU ports, for example in Norway, Northern Africa and Russia.