WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1706/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Short-sea transport
Date: 1996-06-25
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: action programme, common transport policy, competition, maritime transport, proposal (EU), research and development













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91996E1706

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1706/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Short-sea transport  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0088 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1706/96 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (25 June 1996)Subject: Short-sea transportIn the December 1992 White Paper on the future development of the common transport policy, the Commission puts forward a series of proposals for legislation to encourage short-sea transport as an energy efficient and non-polluting alternative to road transport. While recognising the validity of the Commission's communication to Parliament, the Council, the ESC and COR, it is important to point out that particular attention needs to be paid to the following factors:- creation of a competitive environment in which transparency of subsidies and the future internalization of external costs will put short-sea transport on a level footing with other modes of transport,- full integration of short-sea transport within the trans-European networks, of which it must become an integral part and on an equal footing with other modes of transport,- working out practical solutions to the administrative problems facing short-sea transport (such as customs and transit procedures),- exploiting the potential of small and medium-sized ports to relieve congestion at the major ports and road routes.In order to achieve these objectives, will the Commission draw up a list of priorities and ensure continuous follow-up to the measures taken, through close cooperation between the Commission, the Member States and the FIM's short-sea transport group?Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (9 July 1996)The communication from the Commission on short sea shipping ((COM(95) 317. )) included an action programme which contains proposals for initiatives to be taken by the Commission and also by the Member States, by local and regional authorities and by the maritime industries themselves.The Commission considers that responsibility for fostering the development of short sea shipping lies primarily with the maritime industries. While recognising the importance of the points mentioned by the Honourable Member, it is felt that for the Commission itself to draw up a list of priorities would not contribute greatly to the practical implementation of the action programme.However, the Commission is already liaising closely with the short sea panel of the Maritime Industries Forum (MIF) in the implementation of the communication's action programme. This liaison is effectively based upon priorities set by the panel. The MIF's 7th plenary session to be held in Marseilles on 4 and 5 July 1996 will make its first official assessment of developments.All of the points mentioned by the Honourable Member are the subject of ongoing Commission activity. In particular, there is a significant emphasis on short sea shipping in Commission activities such as the 4th framework programme on research and development, the inclusion of ports into the trans-European transport network and support for short sea shipping pilot actions.