NoC223/36 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
OpinionontheCommissioncommunication on'NewChallengesforMaritimeIndustries'
(92/C223/13)
On17December1991theEconomicandSocialCommitteedecided,underthethirdparagraph
ofArticle20ofitsRulesofProcedure,todrawupanOpinionontheabovementioned
communication .
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon6May1992.TheRapporteur
wasMrArena.
Atits297thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
sharpentheircompetitiveedge.Thesetting-upofa
debatingchamberwiththetaskofhelpingtoframethe
typesofmeasuresrequiredandenablingthevarious
partiesconcernedtocontributetheirexperiencesand
suggestionsisalsotobeapplauded .1.Introduction
ThisOpinionshouldberegardedassupplementing the
Committee'searlierOpinion(!)ontheCommission's
Communication 'Industrialpolicyinanopenandcom­
petitiveenvironment'.
2.2.Ontheotherhand,theCommissiondocument
wouldnotseemtohighlightsufficientlythemanysocial
implicationsthatareinevitable.Thisomissionisalso
reflectedinthemembershipoftheForum'sworking
groups.Further,theCommitteehassomedoubtsasto
thekeyfactorsindicatedforthepurposeofboosting
thecompetitiveness ofthevarioussectors—inparticular
thosevulnerabletointernationalcompetition—andthe
corresponding areasofactionproposed.1.1.OnseveraloccasionsinrecentyearstheCom­
mitteehasfocusedattentiononmaritimeissues(2).Here
cooperationwiththeCommissionhasprovedconstruc­
tiveandproducedgoodresults.TheCommitteeregrets
theCommission'sfailuretoaskspecificallyforits
adviceatastagewhenanissueofsuchvitaleconomic
andsocialimportanceasthe'NewChallengesforMari­
timeIndustries'wasalreadybeingstudiedindepth.
1.1.1.ThisOpinionisintendedtobetheCom­
mittee'scontribution totheworkoftheMaritime
IndustriesForuminstigatedbytheCommission ,which
willcontinueuptonextOctober.
2.Generalcomments2.3.Forthefirsttimeanoverallapproachistaken
totherelaunchoftheCommunity'smaritimeeconomy.
Fortoolong,theindustry'svarioussub-sectorshave
beendominatedbydefensivepositionswhichhaveham­
pereddecisiveactiontosharpentheirinternational
competitiveness ,letaloneenhancethewidereconomy.2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
initiative,whichseeks,whilereiteratingtheimportance
ofthe'maritimedimension'inthecontextofthepro­
posedindustrialpolicy,toframeastrategytohaltthe
declineoftheCommunity'smaritimeindustriesand2.4.Thoughinterestsclearlydonotalwayscoincide,
theinterdependence andpotentialpoolingofeffort
amongthemaritimeindustriesmustbehighlighted .A
largeECfleetobviouslyguaranteesaninternalmarket
forshipbuildingandrepairyardsaswellasforsuppliers
ofcomponents .Historically ,nocountryhasdeveloped
maritimeindustrieswithoutrelyingonitsnationalship­
pingsectorasmaincustomer;thesameholdsgoodfor
off-shoreactivities.Similarlyshippingmustbeableto
drawonanextensiverangeofhighlyskilledfinancial,
insurance,legalandbrokerageservices.Lastly,thepro­
fessionalismofthoseemployedintheCommunitymari­
timesectorisanassetwhichmustbecarefullypreserved
sinceitultimatelyadvantagesotherland-basedandport
activities .HOJNoC40,17.2.1992.
(2)Progresstowardsacommontransportpolicy—maritime
transport—OJNoC207,18.8.1986.Minimumrequirements
forvesselsenteringorleavingCommunityportscarrying
packagesofdangerousorpollutinggoods—OJNoC329,
30.12.1989.Aidtoshipbuilding—OJNoC68,16.3.1987.
Aidtoshipbuilding—OJNoC332,31.12.1990.Common
FisheriesPolicy—OJNoC339,31.12.1991.Positive
measuresformaritimetransport—OJNoC56,7.3.1990.
ApplicationofArticle85(3)oftheTreatytocertaincategories
ofagreements,decisionsandconcertedpracticesbetween
shippingcompanies—OJNoC69,18.3.1991.

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/37
witnessofthedeclineofitsfleet—which,asmentioned
above,isthemaincatalystofthemanyandvaried
interestsrevolvingroundseatransport.2.5.Thepersistenceoftheworldwiderecession
afflictingthemaritimeeconomy,combinedwithpress­
urefromacompetitionpolicyconceivedvirtually
exclusivelyintermsoftheinternalmarket,hascaused
themaritimeindustrieswithintheECto'withdraw
intotheirshells'.Thestringentrestructuringprocess
undertakenbytheMemberStateshasundoubtedly
reducedproductionunitcostsbutalsosweptaway
hundredsofthousandsofjobs.2.8.1.1.Thisismoretruetodaythaneverbefore,as
wemovetowardsthesinglemarket—withitsphysical,
legislativeandserviceinfrastructure—andthenew
prospectsoftradewiththemarketsofEasternEurope.
Theinternationalization ofmarkets(andinparticular
therapidexpansionandconsolidationoftheothertwo
mainareas:thePacificRimandNorth/SouthAmerica)
willhaveasignificantimpactonthetransportsystem,
bothinorganizational termsandasregardstechnologi­
calinnovation .2.6.Todayweareatlastbecomingawareofthe
sharpdeclineintheinfluenceexercisedbytheEC
maritimeindustriesasawhole,bothontheinter­
nationalfrontandintermsoftheCommunity'sown
requirements ,causingconcernonstrategicaswellas
economicgrounds.2.8.1.2.Inaddition,thescaling-downofinvestment
innewshipsfromthemid-70sandvirtuallythroughout
the80siscurrentlymakingitimperativetomodernize
theworldfleet(ECvesselsaregenerallyolderthan
average)—avastprocesswhichhasalreadybeensetin
motion.
2.8.2.Thecompetitiveness ofCommunityship­
owners,operatingastheydoonaninternationalmarket
asdescribedabove,isseriouslyunderminedbycon­
straintsandregulationssincethesearenotapplied,as
theyshouldbe,byallcountries.2.7.Themanyandvariouscausesofthissteadily
dwindlingcompetitiveness primarilyaffecttwosectors
—shippingandshipbuilding—whichoperatedirectly
oninternationalmarkets.Itisnotjustamatterof
thetechnologicalandqualitativeadvancesachievedby
certaincompetitors .TheMemberStates'shippingfleets
—whicharealreadyburdenedbyhighertax,socialand
administrative costs—alsohavetocontendwiththe
widespreadprotectionistmeasures(e.g.reservationof
cargoes)andunfairpracticestowhichthefleetsofquite
afewnon-ECcountriesresort.ECshipyardshavebeen
hitnotonlybythelowerlabourcostsandworking
conditionsprevalentincountriessuchasKorea—
whichareinconceivable intheCommunity—butby
moreorlesssurreptitiousyethighlyeffectivesystems
ofaid,asborneoutbythestillunresolvednegotiations
oftheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationand
Development (OECD)onthedismantlingofmechan­
ismswhichdistorttheshipbuildingmarket.2.8.2.1.Hencethedramaticfallinthetonnageof
theCommunityfleet(andthusinthenumberofCom­
munityseamen),andtheployofrecourseto'secondary
registers'whichdistortcompetitionwithintheCom­
munity.
2.8.3.Shipowners'operatingcostsmustbereduced
withtheaidofapragmaticapproachwhichdoesnot
damageworkingconditions,mostimportantlysafety.
HeretheCommittee'searliersuggestionsshouldserve
asbasisforthisnewCommunitypolicy(*).
2.7.1.Japanhasdevelopedadistinctivemaritime
policy—amodernnationalfleet,entirelybuiltin
Japaneseshipyards (supplemented byJapanesecon­
trolledvesselsunderotherflagsalsobuiltinother,even
cheapercountries)andservingacloselyintegrated,
export-oriented economyinwhichallsynergiesare
exploited.Furthermore ,thereisnowaprevalentbelief
thatthe'Japanesesystem'hasunderminedthetruston
whichfreetradeisfounded.2.8.4.TheCommission'sproposalstodateseem
inadequate .Shipowners'expectationsarebasedonthe
adoptionofacompletepackageofmeasures(tax,finan­
cial,nationalityofcrew,pay,workingconditions,etc.)
whichwillalsomaketheEUROSregistryproposedby
theCommissiongenuinelyattractive,andthuscompeti­
tive.TheCommitteethereforeurgestheCommission
topressaheadwiththiswork.
2.8.4.1.Atthesametimeeffectiveinstruments,
drawingonCommunityandotherfunds,shouldbe
2.8.TheCommunityfleet
2.8.1.TheEuropeanCommunities ,astheworld's
largesttradingpower,cannotcontinuetobeanidle(J)ESCOpiniononPositiveMeasuresforMaritimeTrans­
port—OJNoC56,7.3.1990.

NoC223/38 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
introducedwithaviewtomodernizingtheECfleetand
scrappingobsolescentvessels.2.9.4.However,itwouldseemnarrowandmis­
guided—asborneoutintheCommission'sCommuni­
cation—toplacetrustintherelativeadvantagethatthe
Communitywouldenjoyoveritscompetitorsinmore
sophisticatedshipbuildingproductsandconsequently
seetheEC'sstronghandintermsofgreaterconcen­
trationonhighlyadvancedtechnologies (importantas
thatmaybe)whichtheworld'slargestproducercan
certainlyoffertoo.2.9.Theshipbuildingandequipmentindustries
2.9.1.AstrongECfleetisasinequanonforthe
futureofaninternationally viableCommunityship­
buildingindustry.Overthepastfifteenyearstheship­
buildingindustryhasundertakenamajordrivetocut
backandrestructureitsproductioncapacity.Regardless
oftheresultingproductivitygainsandgreaterconcen­
trationonshipbuildingwithahighertechnological
content,ECshipyardsarestillunabletosurviveonthe
marketunlesstheyreceiveadequatepublicsupport.
Thiswillapplyuntilsuchtimeastheirmaincompeti­
tors(notablyJapanandKorea)dismantletheiraids
systems(heretheabovementioned OECDnegotiations
instigatedbytheUSarehighlyrelevant)andconcur­
rentlytheeffectsoftheindispensableprocessofinte­
grationamongnationalshipyardsstarttobearfruit.2.9.5.Fromtheindustrialangle,Communityship­
yardsandancillaryactivitiesmustceasetobesofrag­
mentedandstrivefortheeconomiesofscalewhichare
oneofthestrongpointsoftheirAsiancompetitors .It
isthereforemoreimportantthanevertoencourage
cooperationbetweenCommunityundertakings .Only
inthepastfewyears,interestingjointschemeshave
beensetinmotioninsuchareasasresearchanddevel­
opment(R8cD),design,purchasing,environmental pro­
tectionandmarineenginemanufacture .
2.9.1.1.ItfollowsfromthisthattheEuropeanCom­
munitycannotatpresentrelysolelyoncompetition
policy,butmustdevelopapositiveindustrialpolicyto
assistitsshipbuildingindustry.2.9.6.TheCommunitymustalsotakemoreforceful
actiontoobtain,inconjunctionwiththestage-by-stage
dismantlingofallformsofaid,voluntaryrestraintson
productionfromthemajorAsianshipbuilderstopre­
ventarecurrenceofthedreadedimbalanceofsupply
anddemandand,inthelastresort,discouragesurplus
cargocapacitywhichwouldpushdownfreightrates.
Withthisparticularaiminmind,modernization ofthe
worldfleetshouldgohandinhandwiththescrapping
ofdecrepitvessels,startingwiththosewhicharesub­
standard,onaccountoftheobviousimplicationsfor
occupational safetyandprotectionofthemarine
environment .2.9.1.2.InsidetheCommunity,principlesoftrans­
parencyanddegressionareappliedtoshipbuildingsub­
sidies.TheCommissionshouldadvocatetheseprin­
cipleswithequalvigourinaglobalcontext.
2.9.2.ECshipyardscancertainlynotbeaccusedof
havingcontributedtotheover-production ofshipssince
theirshipbuildingcapacity(andinparticulartheir
workforces )hasbeencutbyaround60%since1975
sothattodayitisaboutone-fifthoftheworldtotal.
TheCommunity ,viaitsdirectives,hasinvariablymade
thegrantingofaidssubjecttostringentcontrolsover
productioncapacity.Further,thispolicydoesnotseem
tohavebiasedthechoicesoftheCommunityshipping
sector,whichhaspurchasedoverhalfitsrequirements
fromnon-ECshipyards.2.9.7.Thesupplyofcomponentsisanotherprerequi­
siteforacompetitiveshipbuildingindustry,sinceprod­
uctspurchasedfromoutsideshipyardsaccountforover
50%ofshipcosts.Perhapsthemainproblem,
especiallyinviewoflowerproductionvolumes,isthe
widevarietyofsuppliersofancillarycomponents (in
termsofbothsizeandspecialization ),manyofwhich
sellonlyasmallproportionoftheirproductionto
theshippingsector.Standardization ofparts,especially
thoserequiredtocomplywithspecificsafetyrequire­
ments,alsoposesmanyproblems.
2.9.3.Conversely,withtheupsurgeinworlddemand
forships,theCommitteeisperturbedbytherenewed
expansionistdrive,especiallyonthepartoftheship­
yardsofJapan(alreadyinapositiontomeetaround
50%ofworlddemand)andKorea(over15%),with
thedangers—forECshipowners—ofamonopolization
ofsupply.2.9.8.Ajointlyagreeddefinitionoffuturemaritime
transportrequirements isthusoneofthebasiccom­
ponentsofacommonstrategyfornotonlyshipping

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/39
theframingandfinancingofspecificprojects)ofan
integratedoperationalsystemcombiningprevention,
penaltiesandcleaning-upmeasures(on-boardsurveil­
lanceandemergencyequipment,specificportinstal­
lationsandamenities,etc.).andshipyardsbutalsothenumerous,disparate
enterprises (mostlyofsmallormediumsize)ofthe
equipmentindustry.Knowledgeoftrendsisnoless
importantforthetechnologiespertainingtoprotection
ofthemarineenvironment andutilizationofits
resources .
2.10.Protectionofthemarineenvironment
2.11.Marineresourcesandmarineresearchindustry
2.10.1.Inrecentyearsthesocialdemandforgreater
environmentprotectionhasbecomefarmoreurgent
andapracticalresponsemustbeforthcoming ,particu­
larlyfromnationalandinternational institutions .
Thoughmostmarinepollutionisland-basedinorigin
(industrialandmunicipalplants,chemicalsusedin
farming,etc.),accidentalorsystematicshipdischarges
ofoilortoxicsubstancescausegreatpublicanxiety.2.11.1.Exploitationofmarineresources (energy,
mineral,biologicaletc.)callsforaresolutelyrational
approach,bearingconstantlyinmindthepotential
impactofhumanactivitiesonthefragilebalanceofthe
marineenvironmentandrisingabovepossibleconflicts
ofinterest(exploitationversusconservation).
2.10.2.Theincreaseinoiltankertransport,the
increasingobsolescenceofmuchoftheworldfleet(over
85%oftankersabove150000tonnescurrentlyin
servicewerebuiltbefore1980,i.e.beforetheintroduc­
tionofrulesmakingsegregationofballastcompulsory )
andthesignificantnumberofsub-standardships(a
phenomenonwhichcastsdoubtsontheeffectivenessof
shipregisters)areamongthemainfactorsthathave
madetheseassurroundingEurope—amajorconsumer
ofenergyrawmaterials—intohighriskzonesthrough
thedischargeofoilandavarietyofchemicalproducts
intendedfor,orresultingfrom,awiderangeofindus­
trialprocesses.2.11.2.TheplightoftheECfisheriesindustryis
themostobviousillustrationofthedifficulty—albeit
necessity—ofreconcilingthedevelopmentofoff-shore
industrywiththemanagementofnaturalresources.
Increasinglysophisticatedtechniquesforlocatingfish
shoals,improvement inshipperformanceandmore
efficientcatchmethodsareattherootsoftheserious
problemofovercatching ,regardlessofCommunity
attemptstoframeapolicyonthemanagementoffishing
stocks.
2.10.3.Manydifferentaspects(legislative,adminis­
trative,technical,economic,insurance,etc.)havetobe
consideredandanti-pollution programmesarestillat
the'firstgeneration'stagedespitethediscoveryof
significantpossibilitiesforimprovement ,dueespecially
toscientificandtechnologicalprogressintelecommuni­
cations,monitoring,marineequipment,etc.2.11.3.Thefisheriessectorwouldseeminurgent
needofarestructuringprocessdesignedtoreducethe
overallcapacityoftheexistingECfleet,accompanied
bytherenewalofcertainnationalfleetsaspartofa
'scrapandbuild'drive.Thedevelopmentofaquaculture
andimprovementofland-basedfisheriesinfrastructure
arepotentialmeasurestoaccompanytherationalization
process,forwhichadequatefundingandstructural
measureswillhavetobeearmarked,bearinginmindthe
particularsocio-economic vulnerabilityofthefishery
sector,especiallyincertainregionsoftheCommunity .2.10.3.1.Theglobalandinternationaldimensionof
protectionofthemarineenvironmentclearlyhighlights
theproblemofjusthowefficientcooperationonavery
broadscaleactuallyproves.Oftenpointsofweakness
havebeenevident.Thisexplains,forinstance,the
UnitedStates'adoptionin1990oftheOilPollutionAct
(makingdoublehullscompulsoryfortankersbuiltafter
June1990sailinginNorthAmericanwaters),ameasure
whichhasinevitablyinfluencedthenewstandardsof
theInternational MaritimeOrganization (IMO)
recentlyagreedon,whicharetocomeintoforceinJuly
1996asregardsnewshipsandinJuly1995asregards
morestringentcontrolsinrespectofshipsalreadyin
use.2.11.4.Onmarineresearch,ECinterestinscience
andtechnologyiscurrentlyconfinedinpractice(except
intheoilsector)toimprovingscientificknowledgeof
themarineenvironment .Oneeffectivewayofattracting
industry'sattentionisundoubtedly amultidisciplinary
Communitypolicyencompassing researchprogrammes
designedtodevelopspecifictechnologies (otherthan
off-shoreoilexplorationtechnologies ,usefulasthese
are)forthemanagementandrationaluseofresources.
2.10.4.TheCommunityandtheMemberStatesmust
striveformorestringentapplicationoftheserulesto
protectthemarineenvironmentandensurenavigational
safetyinconjunctionwiththeintroduction (including2.11.5.Possibleshortandmedium-term outletsof
industrialinterestincludeoceanographic research

NoC223/40 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
equipment (involvingmilitarytechnologies )andrelo­
cationofindustryorservices(e.g.energyproduction,
storageofenergyandotherresources,wasteinciner­
ation,etc.)tooff-shoreorcoastalsites.industries,focusingoninnovativeyeteconomicand
safeproductionprocessesandproducts.Theresearch
driveneededtoprovidetheseindustrieswithadvanced
know-howpresupposes :
—actiontoawakeninterestandachieveclosercoordi­
nationamongCommunityresearchbodiesandpro­
grammes,
2.12.Portnetwork —theframingofaspecificprogrammingandfinancial
strategyguaranteeing wide-ranging ,sustained
activityandencompassing thepre-commercializa­
tionstageandnotjustbasicresearch.
2.12.1.Forsometimetheintroductionofelectronics,
computerization ,etc.hasradicallytransformedman­
agementofportsandmaritimetraffic,thoughtoafar
lesserdegreethanintheairtransportsector.Particu­
larlyinthepastfewyearssignificantadvanceshave
beenmadeinthedevelopmentofsystems(VTS—Vessel
TrafficSystems)forcontrollingvesseltrafficinspecific
(sometimescongested)waterswhereaccidentsaremost
likelytooccur.2.13.2.TheCommunication 'sreferencetothe
JapaneseGovernment'sannualinvestmentofapproxi­
matelyECU300millioninoceantechnologyR&D
programmes—substantiallymorethantheestimated
amountfortheentireEC—isofsignificantinterest.
2.14.Thehumanfactor 2.12.2.Forthesakeofsafetyandefficiency—and
consequentlytransportquality—stepsshouldbetaken
onabroaderbasistospeeduptheintroductionof
operationalstandards,rulesandproceduresapplicable
toallports(currentlymanagedunderverydifferent
legalandotherarrangements ).Inaddition,thewide
gapthatcommonlyexistsbetweenportfacilitiesinthe
Mediterranean andNorthernEuropewouldbenar­
rowed.Abalancedportnetworkwouldhavedecided
advantages,e.g.intermsofintermodality (fewer
expensive'on-andoff-loading'costs,easierlink-ups
withroad,railandinlandwaterwaycommunications )
andreliefofcongestionincertainareas.Herethedevel­
opmentofcoastalshippingcouldplayapart.Obviously
thispresupposesappropriatelegislativeandinfrastruc­
turalmeasures—forwhichadequateCommunityand
otherfinancialprovisionwouldhavetobemade—to
ensureswiftandeconomicmovementofgoods.Ofparticularimportanceistheneedspecificallyto
addressthehumanfactorinthesafeandefficientoper­
ationofships.Sincethehumanfactorisinvolvedin
80%ofaccidentsatsea,thekeyprinciplethathasto
beadoptedisthatsafeoperationofshipsbyfully
trainedcrewsisalsothemostefficientwaytooperate
ships.Tothisend,thesocialregulationsinPortState
controlsshouldbedevelopedandincludetraining,
especiallywithregardtosafetyproceduresandmulti­
lingualcrews.Savingsinoperatingcostsshouldbefirst
ofallpursuedbytakingadvantageoftechnicaladvances
andlowerinterestratesandnotmerelybytheuseof
lowcostlabourfromthirdworldcountries.Itisnecess­
aryfortheCommunitytotakemeasurestoattract
recruitstoseafaringandalsotogiveshipcaptainsthe
legalprotectiontheyneedtoensurethesafetyoftheir
ships.
2.12.3.Topromotesafetyintermsofenvironmental
protection—aphenomenonwhichisexacerbatedbythe
vastsizeofmodernships—installationssuchastanker
cleaningandgasfreeingplantsneedtobebackedby
portandanchoragemonitoringservicescombinedwith
morestringentenforcementofdeterrentmeasuresand
penaltiesvis-a-visoffenders.3.Conclusions
2.13.Researchanddevelopment3.1.TheCommission Communication haslaidthe
foundationsforahighlyambitiousventure,bearingin
mindtheboostaneffectivemaritimesystemcouldgive
tothecompetitiveness oftheCommunity'seconomy.
However,thisdocumentseemsdeficientasregards
practicaldefinitionofthechallengesfacingtheEC
maritimeindustriesandidentification ofthemostsuit­
ablemeasurestotacklethem.2.13.1.WithgoodreasontheCommission'sCom­
municationmentionstechnologicaldevelopmentasone
ofthekeyfactorsinpromotingandmaintainingthe
desiredcompetitiveness oftheCommunity'smaritime

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/41
3.2.TheworkoftheForum—understandably
alreadyexposedtoawidevarietyofpressures—should
becentredonclear-cut,realisticobjectivesinviewof
thehugescaleandcomplexityofthematterunder
discussion.Thismustincludeaproperevaluationofthe
humanfactorinsafeandefficientshipboardoperation.
3.3.IntheCommittee'sopinion,itisvital,firstand
foremost,thatanin-depthassessmentoftheefficiency
andcompetitiveness ofeachindustry(especiallythose
operatingontheinternationalmarket)shouldbemade.
3.4.Equalattentionshouldthenbegiventosetting
prioritiesforaction—withalltheirlegalandcostimpli­
cations,alongwithanindicationofwhowillhaveto
shoulderthecosts—withoutlosingsightofthedesired
harmoniousdevelopmentofthevariousindustries.
Clearlyeachwillhavetochoosetheapproachthat
seemsmostappropriatefromvariousangles
(Community/national,greater/lesserinter-sectoral
coordination ,etc.).Lastly,theCommunity'snegotiat­
ingeffortswithininternationalbodiesmustbeeffec­
tivelysteppeduptocurbanydistortionofcompetition .
3.5.OnceagaintheCommittee [seetheESCOpinion
ontheCommission'sCommunication 'IndustrialPolicy
inanopenandcompetitiveenvironment'(x)]highlights
theneedforacleardemarcationlinebetweengeneral
strategyandeconomicinstruments,withparticularref­
erencetocompetition .IfthefutureoftheCommunity's
maritimeeconomyistohingeonthecompetitiveness
ofthefirmsinvolved,themeasureswithintheCom­
munity'sareaofresponsibility ,asdescribedbythe
Commission ,seeminsufficientintheshortormedium
termtoequipfirmsthemselvestocompeteonequal
termsonmarketswherefreecompetitionrulesare
frequentlyflouted.3.5.1.Itisforthatreasonthatitisnecessaryin
presentcircumstancesthatcompetitionpolicymustbe
supplemented byapolicyorpoliciesspecificallydirect­
edatassistingtheEC'sshippingandshipbuildingindus­
tries.
3.6.Theconceptof'subsidiarity'mustalsobeclari­
fiedinrespectofthepositionoftheCommunityand
theMemberStates.Whilea'welfarementality'istobe
rejected,thereiseveryjustificationforanindustrial
policyaccompanied bycoordinationandfinancing
measuresdesignedtosupportoperatorsduringthebusi­
nessconsolidationandreactivationphase,fosteringa
climateofever-closercooperationbetweenthedifferent
sectorsandwithineachindividualsector.
3.7.Todayatotalshiftinattitudeisneededinsectors
whichforfartoolonghavebeenhamstrungbya
recessionwhichhascausedthelossofhundredsof
thousandsofjobs(primarilyintheleastdeveloped
regionsoftheCommunity),triggeringasignificant
increaseintheaverageageoftheworkforceandthe
exodusofthemostqualifiedyoungworkersto'growth'
industries .TheCommission 'sCommunication doesnot
takesufficientaccountofthis'socialdimension'—apart
fromtheessentialvocationaltrainingschemesseeking
torectifytheincreasingshortageofECseamen—
despitethefactthatthisdimensionmustbeoneofthe
keyobjectivesofan'assault'strategyfortheCom­
munity'smaritimeindustries.
3.8.Asocialdimensionalsoimpliesjobsecurity
andprotectionofthemarineenvironment—problems
whichperhapsrelatemoretocultureandoccupational
skillsthantotechnology .Withoutareturnto,and
stringentcompliancewith,satisfactoryshipandport
operationalsafetystandards,thethreattoEurope's
coastline(alongwithitseconomicactivities,historic
heritageandnaturalassets)couldincreasedramatically ,
aswouldthecostsofremedyingthedamageinflicted. (!)OJNoC40,17.2.1992.
DoneatBrussels,26May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH