Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social committee and the Committee of the Regions on Short Sea Shipping {SEC(2004) 875}
Date: 2004-07-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, customs formalities, maritime cabotage, maritime transport, simplification of formalities, transport policy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 2.7.2004 
COM(2004) 453 final 

. 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on Short Sea Shipping 

{SEC(2004) 875} 

.. 

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1. 

BACKGROUND 

The Commission presented a Communication on Short Sea Shipping in 19951 and a progress 
report in 19972. A further Communication in 19993 incorporated a second report on progress. 
It also analysed a number of obstacles that hinder the development of Short Sea Shipping and 
advocated a comprehensive door-to-door approach with one-stop shops to promote the mode. 

Furthermore  in  2001  the  Commission  White  Paper  on  European  Transport  Policy  for  20104 
set a number of ambitious targets to ensure competitive and sustainable mobility in Europe. 

In  June  2002,  the  European  Union  Transport  Ministers  held  an  informal  meeting  in  Gijón 
(Spain)  dedicated  entirely  to  Short  Sea  Shipping.  Following  this  meeting,  the  Commission 
prepared a Programme for the Promotion of Short Sea Shipping5. The programme sets out 14 
actions  that  have  the  objective  to  improve  Short  Sea  Shipping  and  remove  obstacles  to  its 
development. 

The  Commission  now  presents  a  further  Communication  on  Short  Sea  Shipping  in  Europe 
highlighting  the  progress  achieved  since  1999  and  linking  it  to  the  Programme  for  the 
Promotion of Short Sea Shipping (see Annex I). 

2. 

SHORT SEA SHIPPING IS GROWING 

In the last progress report, we examined the potential of Short Sea Shipping. However, in the 
meantime  we  have  realised  that  it  is  much  more  than  just  a  potential.  For  instance,  in  the 
1990’s it was the only mode of transport that proved able to keep up with the fast growth of 
road transport. Between 1995 and 2002, the tonne-kilometre performance of both Short Sea 
Shipping and road grew by 25 %. In 2001, Short Sea Shipping performed 40 % of all tonne-
kilometres  in  Europe  while  the  share  of  road  transport  was  45 %6.  For  more  details,  see 
Annex II. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  passenger  transport  is  an  important  part  of  Short  Sea  Shipping  and 
helps increase cohesion. However, since the main objective of promoting Short Sea Shipping 
is  to  achieve  a  modal  shift  for  goods  transport,  and  since  the  potential  of  alleviating  traffic 
congestion  by  shifting  passengers  from  road  to  sea  seems  marginal  in  comparison  with 
freight, this Communication concentrates on goods transport. 

1 

2 

3 

4 
5 

6 

Communication from the Commission on the Development of Short Sea Shipping in Europe - Prospects 
and Challenges, COM(95) 317 final, 5.7.1995. 
Commission  Staff  Working  Paper:  Progress  Report  from  the  Commission  Services  following  the 
Council Resolution on Short Sea Shipping of 11 March 1996, SEC(97) 877, 6.5.1997. 
The Development of Short Sea Shipping in Europe: A Dynamic Alternative in a Sustainable Transport 
Chain - Second Two-yearly Progress Report, COM(1999) 317 final, 29.6.1999. 
White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010; Time to Decide, COM(2001) 370, 12.9.2001. 
Communication  from  the  Commission:  Programme  for  the  Promotion  of  Short  Sea  Shipping, 
COM(2003) 155 final, 7.4.2003. 
EU Energy and Transport in Figures: Statistical Pocketbook 2003. 

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3. 

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND DEFICIENCIES 

Maritime  transport  has  a  higher  energy-efficiency  than  other  modes  of  transport  and  is,  in 
general,  less  harmful  to  the  environment.  Increased  use  of  Short  Sea  Shipping  would 
generally be in line with the Community transport and environmental policies (see Annex III). 

4. 

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT SEA SHIPPING 

As  was  stated  in  the  1999  Communication  and  the  subsequent  2003  Programme  for  the 
Promotion  of  Short  Sea  Shipping,  a  number  of  obstacles  still  hinder  the  mode  from 
developing faster: 

•  It has not yet reached full integration in the intermodal door-to-door supply chain; 

•  It has not yet fully shed its past image of an old-fashioned industry; 

•  It involves complex administrative procedures; 

•  It requires high port efficiency. 

Developing  Short  Sea  Shipping  is  primarily  a  task  for  the  industries.  Nevertheless,  the 
authorities  have  a  clear  role  to  play  in  creating  an  appropriate  framework  and  keeping  the 
mode continuously high on the political agenda, as has been the case in the past years. 

Logistics  chains  involving  Short  Sea  Shipping  should  be  managed  and  commercialised  by 
one-stop  shops,  such  as  freight  integrators7.  These  shops  should  offer  customers  a  single 
contact  point  that  takes  responsibility  for  the  whole  intermodal  supply  chain  door  to  door. 
This requires efforts from all parties but is a win-win situation. 

4.1. 

“Bottleneck Exercise” 

The Commission, in co-operation with the Short Sea Shipping Focal Points8 and industry, has 
been  collecting  a  list  of  obstacles  that  hinder  the  development  of  Short  Sea  Shipping9.  In 
2003, two meetings of the Focal Points were dedicated to addressing those alleged bottlenecks 
one by one in the following categories: 

•  Image of Short Sea Shipping; 

•  Door-to-door Short Sea Shipping; 

•  Administration and documentation; 

•  Ports and port services; 

•  Country-specific issues. 

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8 
9 

Cf. http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/logistics/index_en.htm. 
For more details on the Short Sea Shipping Focal Points, see chapter 7.1. 
See: http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/maritime/sss/policy_bottlenecks_en.htm. 

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A number of bottlenecks on the original list have been solved (see Annex IV for examples). 
Work on addressing the remaining 67 bottlenecks in a systematic manner will continue. 

4.2. 

Customs Procedures for Short Sea Shipping 

The Commission presented in 2002 a Guide to Customs Procedures for Short Sea Shipping10. 
The Guide has a two-fold purpose. First, it outlines the EU Customs rules that apply to Short 
Sea  Shipping,  including  the  opportunities  that  are  available  to  use  simplified  Customs 
procedures.  And,  second,  it  gives  a  concise  basis  for  identifying  whether  there  could  be 
concrete needs for modifications or further simplifications. 

European-wide consultations on the Guide ended in April 2003 and the first analyses of the 
contributions indicated that concrete problems associated with the general EU Customs rules 
might  be  less  numerous  than  was  earlier  thought.  The  main  comments  focused  on  the  so-
called “Authorised Regular Shipping Service”11 which is a service authorised by the Customs 
to  carry  Community  goods  between  two  Member  States  with  minimum  formalities.  Indeed, 
for  Community  goods,  this  service  can  be  compared  to  a  road  bridge  between  two  or  more 
points  in  the  Customs  territory  of  the  Community  where  there  are  no  Customs  checks  on 
either end of the bridge. The status of Community goods carried on this service does not need 
to  be  proven  any  more  than  is  the  case  in  road  transport.  For  non-Community  goods,  this 
service can apply for simplified transit procedures, such as using the service provider’s own 
manifests for Customs purposes. 

To  address  questions  surrounding  this  Authorised  Regular  Shipping  Service,  its  practical 
application,  and  the  relaxation  of  paperwork  that  it  offers,  the  Commission  presented  in 
March  2004  a  Working  Document12  explaining  the  modalities  of  the  service  and  the 
procedures on how to become an Authorised Regular Shipping Service. The Document gives 
a direct response to the shipping industry by making the service more known and accessible 
to companies that could benefit from it. 

Some  perceived  problems  in  the  contributions  were  of  a  purely  practical  nature  and  could 
often be simplified or solved by the introduction of electronic transfer of Customs and other 
administrative data (e-Customs). 

As one of the first steps in e-Customs, some 3000 Customs offices in 22 countries have now 
implemented  the  New  Computerised  Transit  System  (NCTS)  since  mid-2003.  Under  the 
current system, the procedure relating to transport under the single administrative document 
(SAD)  is  replaced  by  electronic  messages.  Additional  functionalities  are  planned  to  be 
introduced into the NCTS in the future. 

10 

11 

12 

Commission  Staff  Working  Document:  Guide  to  Customs  Procedures  for  Short  Sea  Shipping, 
SEC(2002) 632, 29.5.2002. 
Cf.  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  75/98  of  12  January  1998,  OJ  L  7.  13.1.1998,  p.  3,  as 
subsequently amended. 
Commission  Staff  Working  Document:  Simplified  Customs  Procedures  in  Short  Sea  Shipping: 
‘Authorised Regular Shipping Service’, SEC(2004) 333, 17.3.2004. 

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The  Commission  presented  in  July  2003  a  Communication  on  a  simple  and  paperless 
environment  for  Customs  and  Trade13.  The  Communication  suggests  co-ordination  between 
different authorities boarding the ship. This could ultimately lead to one-stop administrative 
shops  (or  ‘single  windows’)  for  traders,  who  would  then  have  to  deal  with  just  one 
administrative  body  instead  of  three  or  four  at present.  Accordingly,  information  relating  to 
any given import consignment would have to be sent only once. 

The Communication also suggests adjusting the Customs Code so that electronic declarations 
and  messages  become  the  rule  and  paper-based  declarations  the  exception.  To  achieve  this 
will, however, take some time because the necessary data flows will have to be organised and 
compatible IT systems set up. 

A number of perceived problems that were indicated in the consultations related to national, 
regional  or  local  applications  of  Community  Customs  rules.  Some  of  these  issues  could  be 
addressed under the initiatives to approximate national applications of Community Customs 
rules and improve co-operation between national Customs services, in particular through the 
action  programme  for  Customs  in  the  Community  (Customs  2007)14.  Furthermore,  two 
contact  groups15  of  Customs  offices  work  towards  increasing  practical  co-operation  and  co-
ordination between the Customs offices of major EU ports. These Groups examine practical 
operational issues, set standards, and aim to achieve an equivalent application of controls. 

Based  on  the  consultations  and  further  developments  in  the  Customs  field,  the  Commission 
periodically  updates  the  original  Guide  to  Customs  Procedures  for  Short  Sea  Shipping.  The 
latest working version of the Guide is version No. 3, updated on 14 January 2004. 

4.3. 

Port Services and Security 

Short  Sea  Shipping  needs  efficient  and  short-sea  friendly  ports  whether  these  are  seaports, 
island  ports  or  sea-river  ports.  It  needs  reasonable  turnaround  times,  and  transparent 
procedures  and  charges.  Only  with  ports  operating  seamlessly  in  the  intermodal  chain,  can 
Short Sea Shipping enhance its true role in Europe. And these pre-conditions are not always 
being met. 

Consequently,  the  Commission  made  in  2001  a  proposal  on  access  to  the  port  services 
market16 in the European Union. This proposal aimed to increase the efficiency and lower the 
costs  of  certain  port  services:  pilotage,  towing,  mooring,  services  to  passengers  and  cargo 
handling. 

However, the European Parliament voted against the proposed text after conciliation with the 
Council.  Consequently,  competition  in  the  port  services  market  continues  to  be  less  intense 
than it would have become with a specific Directive. 

13 

14 

15 
16 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee:  A  simple  and  paperless  environment  for  Customs  and  Trade, 
COM(2003) 452 final, 24.7.2003. 
Decision No 253/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2003 adopting 
an action programme for customs in the Community (Customs 2007), OJ L 36, 12.2.2003, p. 1. 
RALFH dealing with major northern EU ports and ODYSSUD dealing with major southern EU ports. 
Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  market  access  to  port 
services, COM(2001) 35 final, 13.2.2001, as amended by COM(2002) 101 final, 19.2.2002. 

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In  the  port  security  domain,  Short  Sea  Shipping  could  benefit  from  the  opportunity  in  the 
SOLAS  (Safety  of  Life  at  Sea)  Convention  to  conclude  bilateral  or  multilateral  agreements 
between the Member States on alternative security arrangements (see Annex V). 

4.4. 

Loading Units 

Harmonisation and standardisation of loading units can have a positive influence on Short Sea 
Shipping, for example, by enabling it to penetrate the all-land swap-body market (see Annex 
VI). 

5. 

MOTORWAYS OF THE SEA 

The White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010 strongly emphasised the concept of 
“Motorways  of  the  Sea”.  These  Motorways  of  the  Sea  should  become  part  of  the  trans-
European  network  (TEN-T)  -  just  like  land  motorways  and  railways  -  and  reduce  road 
congestion and/or improve access to peripheral and island regions and States. In addition to 
reducing the number of lorries on the main roads, they could also in certain cases contribute to 
fostering the transport of passengers by sea since vessels can carry freight and passengers at 
the same time. 

Motorways  of  the  Sea  should  become  an  integral  part  of  door-to-door  logistics  chains  and 
offer efficient, regular, reliable and frequent services that can compete with road, for instance, 
in terms of transit time and price. The ports connected to the Motorways should have efficient 
hinterland  connections,  rapid  administrative  procedures  and  a  high  level  of  service  that  is 
targeted to making short-sea operations successful. 

Although Short Sea Shipping would be the mode to operate on the Motorways of the Sea, its 
underlying concept is broader than that of Motorways of the Sea, because, apart from trans-
national  links  between  European  Union  Member  States,  Short  Sea  Shipping  also  includes 
connections with close third countries, domestic connections, and connections from mainland 
to islands. 

In  October  2003  the  Commission  proposed  a  revision  of  the  Community  Guidelines  on  the 
development of the TEN-T17 including 29 priority projects to be implemented by 2020 at the 
latest.  These  priority  projects  would  be  declared  to  be  of  “European  interest”  and  receive 
priority funding from the relevant Community resources. Project No. 21 is the priority project 
on the development of Motorways of the Sea. Four Motorways of the Sea areas are proposed 
as part of that priority project (see map in Annex VII): 

•  Motorway of the Baltic Sea (linking the Baltic Sea Member States with Member 
States  in  Central  and  Western  Europe,  including  the  route  through  the  North 
Sea/Baltic Sea canal);  

•  Motorway of the Sea of western Europe (leading from Portugal and Spain via the 

Atlantic Arc to the North Sea and the Irish Sea);  

17 

EN 

Amended  proposal  for  a  Decision  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  amending  the 
the  Council 
amended  proposal 
amending  Decision  No  1692/96/EC  on  Community  guidelines  for  the  development  of  the  trans-
European transport network, COM(2003) 564 final, 1.10.2003. 

the  European  Parliament  and  of 

for  a  Decision  of 

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•  Motorway  of  the  Sea  of  south-east  Europe  (connecting  the  Adriatic  Sea  to  the 

Ionian Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus); 

•  Motorway  of  the  Sea  of  south-west  Europe  (western  Mediterranean,  connecting 
Spain,  France,  Italy  and  including  Malta  and  linking  with  the  Motorway  of  the 
Sea of south-east Europe, including links to the Black Sea). 

The  European  Parliament  approved  the  Council’s  Common  Position  on  the  Commission’s 
proposal  in  April  2004.  The  new  article  12a  on  Motorways  of  the  Sea  would  now  allow 
Community aid for a series of measures in the framework of the trans-European network. The 
mechanism would enable Member States, with Community assistance, to support, inter alia, 
infrastructure, facilities and logistics management systems based on an appropriate tendering 
procedure. 

Support  for  the  development  of  the  Motorways  of  the  Sea  should  be  based  on  the  same 
criteria as under Marco Polo18, such as avoidance of distortions of competition and viability 
of the project on its own after the period of Community funding19. 

To help this process, the Commission is developing guidelines that would set out the criteria 
and procedures for the funding of Motorways of the Sea projects under the rules of the trans-
European  transport  network  thereby  facilitating  the  practical  application  of  those  rules.  The 
guidelines are expected to be ready shortly after the new TEN-T Guidelines enter into force. 

Shipping links with major characteristics of Motorways of the Sea already exist (see Annex 
VIII  for  examples),  the  links  across  the  English  Channel  and  the  strait  of  Kattegat 
(Denmark/Sweden) being most obvious examples. Nevertheless, highest quality standards and 
a  considerable  expansion  of  such  links  will  be  required  to  fulfil  the  ambitious  target  of  the 
Commission  White  Paper  on  European  Transport  Policy  for  2010,  namely  to  have  a 
significant  part  of  transport  growth  absorbed  by  Short  Sea  Shipping  and,  in  particular,  by 
links on Motorways of the Sea. 

18 

19 

Regulation (EC) No 1382/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2003 on the 
granting  of  Community  financial  assistance  to  improve  the  environmental  performance  of  the  freight 
transport system (Marco Polo Programme), OJ L 196, 2. 8.2003, p. 1. 
Other  main  conditions  under  Marco  Polo  are  that  the  action  would  lead  to  an  actual,  substantial  and 
measurable modal shift from road; have a realistic business plan (and, according to it, be viable after 
Community  financing);  the  procedure  for  selecting  third-party  services  would  have  to  be  transparent, 
objective and non-discriminatory; the action would involve the territory of at least two Member States 
or  at  least  one  Member  State  and  one  close  third  country;  projects  would  have  to  be  submitted  by 
consortia of two or more undertakings established in at least two different Member States or at least one 
Member  State  and one  close third  country; and  there would  be  an  aggregated  ceiling for  Community 
and State aid which is compatible with the State aid arrangements laid down in the Treaty. 

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6. 

MARCO POLO 

The  programme  “Pilot  Actions  for  Combined  Transport”  (PACT)20  expired  at  the  end  of 
2001.  It  was  succeeded  by  a  new  programme,  “Marco  Polo”,  in  August  200321.  This  new 
programme  is  wider  than  its  predecessor  because  it  can  subsidise  actions  in  all  sections  of 
Short Sea Shipping, rail and inland waterways. Marco Polo has an ambitious goal to shift 12 
billion  tonne-kilometres  a  year  from  road  to  non-road  modes.  The  budget  of  the  new 
programme is EUR 100 million for the period 2003-2006. 

The first call for proposals under Marco Polo was published in October 2003 with a budget of 
EUR  15  million.  Under  this  call  the  Commission  received  87  eligible  proposals  requesting 
subsidies totalling EUR 182.4 million. 

Thirty-six per cent (36 %) of the proposals related directly to Short Sea Shipping, while 34 % 
were rail projects, 5 % were inland waterway projects and 25 % involved more than one non-
road mode (e.g. Short Sea Shipping in combination with rail or inland waterways). 

The  short-sea  proposals  made  in  the  selection  round  were  generally  of  high  quality  and  a 
substantial share of accepted projects will involve Short Sea Shipping. 

7. 

PROMOTION NETWORKS AT ADMINISTRATIVE AND PRACTICAL LEVELS 

Not  everyone  is,  so  far,  aware  of  the  modern  benefits  of  door-to-door  Short  Sea  Shipping. 
This is being tackled by general promotion at EU level22 and two separate European networks 
of  promotion  each  with  their  specific  tasks:  Short  Sea  Shipping  Focal  Points  and  Short  Sea 
Promotion Centres. 

7.1. 

Short Sea Shipping Focal Points 

Short Sea Shipping Focal Points are highly-qualified civil servants in national administrations 
and responsible for the mode nationally within their public administrations. They work in co-
ordination  with  the  Commission  and  EU  policy.  On  the  initiative  of  the  Commission,  the 
Focal  Points  have  networked  at  EU  level  to  exchange  experience,  discuss  ways  to  promote 
Short Sea Shipping, address bottlenecks that hinder the development of the mode, and come 
up with new strategies to improve the attractiveness of the mode among transport users. On 
average  they  meet  twice  a  year  under  the  chairmanship  of  the  Commission.  The  Maritime 
Industries Forum is represented as an observer in those meetings. 

Almost  all  coastal  Member  States  have  nominated  Focal  Points,  and  so  have  the  European 
Economic  Area  countries  Norway  and  Iceland,  and  candidate  countries  Bulgaria,  Romania 
and Turkey. Furthermore, Croatia has a Focal Point. 

The  Focal  Points  are  the  key  actors  in  Member  States’  administrations  to  co-ordinate  Short 
Sea Shipping policies within their administrations and with other administrations. They also 
ensure that Short Sea Shipping is kept high on the political agenda. 

20 
21 
22 

For more information, see http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/marcopolo/pact/projects_en.htm. 
See footnote 18. 
See http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/maritime/sss/index_en.htm. 

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The Focal Points have been very active and have made a clear difference to the perception of 
Short  Sea  Shipping  in  national  administrations.  They  also  work  to  achieve  co-operation 
between  different  administrations,  between  administrations  and  relevant  industries,  and 
between  administrations  and  Short  Sea  Promotion  Centres.  They  have  been  instrumental  in 
solving a number of administrative bottlenecks to the benefit of Short Sea Shipping. 

7.2. 

Short Sea Promotion Centres and European Short Sea Network 

Furthermore,  16  national  Short  Sea  Shipping  Promotion  Centres23  operate  in  Europe.  These 
Promotion  Centres  work  in  line  with  the  Commission  policy  but  they  demonstrate  a  wide 
variety  of  working  methods  to  approach  their  national  audiences.  They  are  led  by  business 
interests that understand the benefits in having a neutral body that promotes the use of Short 
Sea Shipping. 

These  Centres  help  prospective  Short  Sea  Shipping  users  with  advice  and  information. 
Promotion work is done, inter alia, through the media of presentations for target audiences, 
bilateral  meetings  with  targeted  groups,  responses  to  individual  inquiries,  mail-shots  (fact 
sheets),  press  releases  and  exhibitions.  Shippers  and  road-hauliers  are  being  specifically 
targeted  by  this  work  to  influence  their  mindset  and  work  with  Short  Sea  Shipping.  Some 
Promotion Centres are also running specific initiatives, such as introducing young people to 
careers in the Short Sea/maritime logistics sector. 

The establishment of further national Short Sea Promotion Centres is under consideration in a 
number of other European countries. 

And  since  shipping  is  an  international  business  with  customers  at  both  ends  of  a  short-sea 
route, the national Promotion Centres are networked at European level. Their European Short 
Sea  Network  allows  potential  Short  Sea  Shipping  users  to  benefit,  not  only  from  full 
geographic coverage but also from the collective expertise of individual Centres. 

The European Short Sea Network has a mission to raise the profile of Short Sea Shipping in 
Europe.  It  aims  at  becoming  the  leading  source  of  information  on  the  mode.  It  gives  added 
value  to  the  work  of  individual  Promotion  Centres  by  providing  a  medium  for  them  to 
exchange  information  and  ideas,  by  giving  guidance  and  support  to  new  Centres  and  by 
ensuring on-going development of the Network’s common web portal. 

The European Short Sea Network offers a unique product which is available on the Internet 
(www.shortsea.info).  This  is  a  database  of  Short  Sea  Liner  Services  in  Europe.  The  first 
phase of the database is already operational and is regularly extended and updated. In the 
second phase, enhanced possibilities will be added for extraction and exchange of data. 

The  financing  sources  of  different  Short  Sea  Promotion  Centres  demonstrate  a  wide  range 
between public and private. For the Centres to reach their objectives, it is important for them 
to have, at least, medium-term financial security. Public support is a good way of ensuring the 
neutrality  of  the  Centres  and  improving  their  credibility.  Apart  from  this,  wide  industry 
participation is a prerequisite for the Centres. 

23 

Belgium,  Denmark,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Lithuania,  the  Netherlands, 
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. For hyperlinks, see www.shortsea.info. 

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The European Commission strongly supports these Promotion Centres and their Network and 
works to ensure their good functioning and give necessary policy guidance for their concrete 
activities. 

8. 

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 

While  preparing  this  Communication,  the  Commission  requested  input  from  the  Short  Sea 
Shipping  Focal  Points.  The  Commission  is  grateful  for  the  input  that  has  been  reflected  in 
several places in this Communication and, in particular, in Annex IX. 

9. 

IN CONCLUSION 

Whereas Short Sea Shipping was considered for many years to be a less performing mode, it 
has now proven its ability to reach levels of competitiveness normally attributed to road alone. 
Nevertheless, expected growth in European goods transport makes it necessary for Short Sea 
Shipping to expand even further so as to make its full contribution towards alleviating current 
and future transport problems in Europe. 

In spite of the clear positive message of this Communication, it should be remembered that 
the  promotion  of  Short  Sea  Shipping  is  a  long-term  exercise  and  the  impact  of  the  ongoing 
work can be properly evaluated on a Europe-wide scale only over a longer time perspective. 
The Commission will continue to promote Short Sea Shipping and review its developments; 
to  this  end,  it  intends  to  present  further  Communications  or  progress  reports  when 
appropriate. 

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