Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Communication and action plan with a view to establishing a European maritime transport space without barriers {COM(2009) 11 final}
Date: 2009-01-21
Institutions: Provisional data
Subjects: fisheries policy, fishing regulations, free movement of goods, maritime area, maritime transport

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.1.2009 
COM(2009) 10 final 

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

Communication and action plan with a view to establishing a European maritime 
transport space without barriers 

{COM(2009) 11 final} 

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

Communication and action plan with a view to establishing a European maritime 
transport space without barriers 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Maritime  transport  is  subject  to  complex  administrative  procedures  even  when 
vessels  ply  only  between  EU  ports  (intra-EU  maritime  transport)  and  the  cargo 
consists only of goods in free circulation ("Community goods"). The consequence is 
that the intra-EU maritime transport of goods is faced with a cost of administrative 
compliance that makes it a less attractive option for the transport of Internal Market 
goods. 

These  procedures  involve  a  wide  set  of  mainly  EU  legislation  made  up  of  customs 
and  transport  rules,  veterinary  and  plant-protection  regulations,  and  formalities  for 
vessels  arriving  in  or  departing  from  ports,  and  have  been  identified  as  a  major 
hindrance to intra-EU maritime transport by most stakeholders. 

As  similar  administrative  procedures  do  not  affect  land  transport,  a  lot  of 
stakeholders have urged action in the maritime sector too. 

In  particular,  the  Council  stressed  the  need  to  encourage  the  use  of  Short  Sea 
Shipping (SSS) in its Conclusions on the  promotion of  SSS  of 11  December 2006, 
and to this end to simplify the administrative procedures. The demand was repeated 
in the Council Conclusions concerning the Lisbon Strategy of 12 February 2007. At 
the end of 2006, the European Economic and Social Committee reiterated its call to 
do away with controls at internal frontiers for maritime transport. 

In  its  Mid-term  Review  White  Paper  on  Transport  Policy1  the  Commission 
announced the creation of a European maritime transport space without barriers. The 
need  to  eliminate  the  disadvantages  of  intra-EU  sea  traffic  compared  with  other 
modes of transport has also been emphasised in the “Blue Book” Communication on 
an  integrated  maritime  policy2.  This  concept  is  fully  compatible  with  the 
Commission strategy for legislative simplification in the European Union. 

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Commission Communication: “Keep Europe moving — Sustainable mobility for our continent — Mid-
term review of the European Commission’s 2001 Transport White paper” - COM(2006) 314. 
Communication:  An  Integrated  Maritime  Policy  for  the  European  Union  -  COM(2007)  575, 
10.10.2007. 

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The Commission also adopted a Communication on a European ports policy3, which 
tackles bottlenecks other than administrative barriers. 

2.  Objective  of  the  European  maritime  transport  space  without  barriersThe 
European  maritime  transport  space  without  barriers  is  a  concept  which  extends  the 
Internal  Market  to  intra-EU  maritime  transport  by  eliminating  or  simplifying 
administrative  procedures  in  intra-EU  maritime  transport,  the  aim  being  to  make  it 
more attractive, more efficient and more competitive, and to do more to protect the 
environment. 

To this end, the Commission identified a series of measures, which are described in 
this Communication. 

3. 

ROLE OF SHORT SEA SHIPPING IN THE INTERMODAL FREIGHT LOGISTICS CHAIN 

3.1. 

Short Sea Shipping contributes to sustainable and safe mobility 

Globalisation and EU enlargement have generated major growth in transport volume 
over recent decades, resulting in transport congestion and increased pressure on the 
environment  and  on  safety.  Forecasts  show  that  transport  demand  will  continue  to 
grow,  which  means  that  optimum  use  should  be  made  of  all  forms  of  transport, 
notably  SSS,  which  is  well  adapted  to  the  geography  of  Europe  and  its  long  and 
propitious coastline. 

Although  more  can  undoubtedly  still  be  done,  SSS  can  be  considered  the  most 
environmentally  friendly  mode  of  transport,  with  comparatively  low  external  costs 
and high energy efficiency. 

Shipping  is  also  a  comparatively  safe  mode  of  transport,  with  infrastructure  costs 
which are much lower than for land transport. 

Making more use of SSS could help the Community to achieve its post-Kyoto CO2 
targets. 

3.2. 

Technical solutions for simpler administrative procedures 

A  key  to  such  simplification  was  the  mandatory  fitting  of  vessels  with  monitoring 
equipment of vessel traffic. 

Under  Directive  2002/59/EC4,  the  carriage  of  an  Automatic  Identification  System 
(AIS) is mandatory for almost all categories of ships. Vessel Traffic Services/Vessel 
Traffic  Information  and  Management  Systems  (VTS/VTMIS),  using  information 
from AIS, coastal radars and radio communications, are deployed to monitor traffic 
in specific locations. 

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Directive  2002/59/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  June  2002  establishing  a 
Community  vessel  traffic  monitoring  and  information  system  and  repealing  Council  Directive 
93/75/EEC (OJ L 208, 5.8.2002, p. 10). 

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In  2006,  the  EU  adopted  the  amendments  to  the  IMO's  SOLAS  Convention  to 
mandate  the  Long-Range  Identification  and  Tracking  of  Ships  (LRIT)  for  ships  of 
300 GT and upwards, available from January 2009. 

These  systems  will  create  a  sounder  basis  for  the  introduction  of  an  e-Maritime 
environment for goods and for navigation, which will in turn make the sector more 
competitive  and  provide  alternative  solutions  to  the  current  administrative  controls 
and documentation checks. In this context, the deployment of an integrated maritime 
surveillance  system  for  monitoring  movements  of  ships  at  sea  will  further  improve 
vessel traffic monitoring. 

4. 

ASSESSMENT  OF  POSSIBLE  MEASURES  TO  IMPROVE  THE  INTERNAL  MARKET  FOR 
SHORT SEA SHIPPING 

4.1. 

Consultation of interested parties 

Stakeholders  gave  comments  on  the  European  maritime  transport  space  without 
barriers  at  the  occasion  in  conjunction  with  the  consultation  on  an  integrated 
maritime policy launched in June 2006. The specific public online “Consultation on a 
European  maritime  space  without  barriers  reinforcing  the  internal  market  for  intra-
European maritime transport” was launched in October 2007. 

The  concept  had  been  presented  to  the  national  Focal  Points  for  SSS  in  December 
2007,  to  the  Maritime  Transport  Directors  in  April  2008,  and  at  seminars  held  in 
March 2007 and April 2008, attracting nothing but positive comments. 

Dedicated  workshops  with  stakeholders  were  organised  in  March  2007  and  April 
2008 in Brussels and Antwerp, and a reference stakeholder group comprising experts 
from  industry  and  administration  was  established  in  October  2007  to  make 
suggestions and monitor the impact assessment study. 

A number of issues emerged from the stakeholder consultation, described below. 

4.2.  Main administrative burdens underlined in the consultation 

Stakeholders  considered  the  administrative  procedures  for  maritime  transport  to  be 
too  often  unnecessarily  complex,  redundant  and  not  harmonised  between  Member 
States  or  ports.  Operations  for  incoming  and  outgoing  vessels  to/from  ports  are 
slowed down, generating higher costs, and loading and unloading operations tend to 
be delayed. 

Indeed,  sea  ports  in  the  Community  are  part  of  the  EU’s  external  borderand  a  ship 
calling  in  these  ports  is  faced  with  a  range  of  administrative  procedures  on  arrival 
and  departure,  comprising  a  wide  set  of  EU  and  international  legislation,  ranging 
from customs and tax rules, to border control rules, trade, statistics, environment and 
waste,  plant-health,  veterinary  and  health  protection,  transport  and  security  and 
safety  regulations  (see  the  list  in  Annex  A  of  the  impact  assessment  report).  Such 
regulations  are  not  always  properly  coordinated,  leading  on  occasion  to  delays, 
overlaps and excessive administrative costs. 

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Port authorities or customs may not allow loading/unloading operations to start until 
the  ship  reporting  formalities  have  been  completed.  The  closing  times  of  Customs 
offices in some ports cause delays in processing information. 

The  stakeholders  reported  problems  with  divergent  practices,  depending  on  the 
organisation  of  the  operator  in  the  port  of  loading.  For  instance,  in  some  Member 
States  certain  customs  documents  have  to  be  given  in  original  to  a  customs  office, 
which might be located far away from the quay, and opening times or the location of 
customs  offices  may  cause  logistical  problems.  In  some  ports,  unloading  of  a  ship 
can start only after all documentary formalities have been completed, which can take 
up to half a day. 

Apart  from  these  issues,  there  are  other  administrative  bottlenecks  which  the 
Communication seeks to address: 

•  The transport of dangerous goods is restricted, costly and complicated at sea due 
to  the  overlap  between  bodies  of  technical  legislation,  and  often  sea  transport  is 
not an option and goods are transferred by land. 

•  Language  difficulties  are  another  major  bottleneck  as  some  authorities  in  ports 

refuse ship manifests and certificates in languages other than their own. 

•  Pilotage services can be a serious problem. Vessels on SSS runs call regularly at 
the  same  ports,  and  their  masters  are  familiar  with  the  physical  features. 
Nonetheless, in many cases pilot assistance is compulsory. While some countries 
do  offer  a  Pilotage  Exemption  Certificate  (PEC),  there  are  often  national 
requirements that make a PEC difficult to obtain. 

•  Electronic manifests are not universally accepted by all ports in the EU. Only 55% 
of ports use electronic systems for handling ship and cargo information, with the 
use of fax and telephone still common. 

•  Only a few Member States have a national single window approach. The linkage 
between the SafeSeaNet and the port networks is very limited, and data exchange 
happens  when  the  national  authorities  ask  for  it.  The  exchange  of  electronic 
messages between ports is practically non-existent. 

Estimates of the costs entailed by these administrative procedures have been assessed 
(cf. impact assessment report). 

5. 

ACTION PLAN 

To extend the Internal Market to maritime transport and create a European maritime 
transport space without barriers, the Commission is putting forward a set of actions 
comprising  legislative  measures,  measures  requiring  further  preparation  which  will 
be proposed at a later stage, and recommendations to the Member States. The impact 
assessment  of  the  measures  has  been  carried  out,  and  the  resulting  report  can  be 
consulted on the European Commission website. 

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5.1. 

Short-term measures at EU level 

5.1.1. 

Simplification of customs formalities for vessels only sailing between EU ports 

The  point  of  a  European  maritime  transport  space  without  barriers  is  to  make 
maritime transport more efficient by abolishing administrative formalities for goods 
in free circulation (Community goods): upon their arrival at an EU port, ships from 
another EU port transporting Community goods would not have to present a proof of 
Community status. This will be an important additional step for the completion of the 
internal market. 

In  early  2009  the  Commission  will  propose  to  amend  the  Regulation  laying  down 
provisions  for  the  implementation  of  the  Community  Customs  Code5,  in  order  to 
introduce  the  presumption  that  goods  shipped  between  Community  ports  have  the 
customs  status  of  Community  goods  so  that  a  documentary  proof  of  Community 
status will not be required. 

The  presumption  will  apply  to  goods  that  have  been  shipped  between  ports  in  the 
Community  customs  territory  on  board  a  vessel  that  does  not  come  from,  go  to  or 
call at any ports outside this territory or in a free zone of control type I (as stipulated 
in  the  Implementing  Provisions  of  the  Community  Customs  Code),  provided  that 
they are carried under cover of a single transport document drawn up in a Member 
State.  Non-Community  goods  carried  on  board  these  vessels  will  be  covered  by  a 
transit procedure. 

The  current  presumption  which  is  limited  to  vessels  plying  between  ports  in  the 
customs  territory  of  the  Community  that  have  a  prior  customs  authorisation  – 
"authorised regular shipping services" - can therefore be repealed. 

The Commission will propose that the new rules should enter into force in 2010. The 
Commission considers that amending the Regulation laying down provisions for the 
implementation of the Community Customs Code is an expedient way to realise one 
of the main goals of the European maritime transport space without barriers, namely 
significantly  reducing  the  administrative  burden  imposed  to  intra-Community 
maritime  transport,  without  inducing  adverse  effects  on  other  categories  of  sea 
transport  carrying  third-country  goods.  This  will  add  to  the  benefits  expected  from 
the Modernised Customs Code and e-Customs in terms of reduction of administrative 
burden for transport. 

5.1.2.  Guidelines for speeding up documentary checks related to animal and plant products 

carried between EU ports 

Animal products and live animals of Community origin are subject to documentary 
checks when they are unloaded in ports with a border inspection post and where they 
are transported by a maritime service which is not a regular and direct line between 
two  Community  ports.  This  is  to  address  the  risk  of  goods  of  third  country  origin 
being presented accidentally or fraudulently as goods of Community origin, exposing 
the Community to significant risks to public and animal health. 

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Regulation  (EEC)  No  2454/93  laying  down  provisions  for  the  implementation  of  Council  Regulation 
(EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code (OJ L 302, 19.10.1992, p. 1). 

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Through  specific  guidelines,  the  Commission  will  encourage  more  effective  and 
faster clearance of animal and plant products in intra-Community maritime transport 
as  described  in  Council  Directive  89/662/EEC6  on  veterinary  checks,  Council 
Directive 90/425/EEC7 on veterinary and zootechnical checks and Council Directive 
2000/29/EC8 on protective measures for plants or plant products. Opportunities could 
be found for synergies in the checks, especially documentary checks, required before 
clearance is permitted at Community ports for such goods. Many stakeholders have 
identified  overlaps  in  such  checks  leading  to  delays  and  higher  costs  in  clearance. 
Similarly,  there  are  indications  that  the  best  practices  of  some  ports  offer 
opportunities  for  more  effective  controls,  without  compromising  safety.  These  best 
practices  will  be  introduced  in  guidelines  on  the  procedure  for  animal  and  plant 
products  carried  by  seaborne  transport.  The  guidelines  will  clarify,  inter  alia,  the 
procedures applying to animal products and live animals of Community origin if the 
vessel arrives in a port with a border inspection post, and the procedures for animal 
products  and  live  animals  of  non-Community  origin.  They  will  also  cover  goods 
carried  under  a  transit  procedure,  transhipped  goods  or  goods  which  are  directly 
imported. They will promote a common approach, clarifying the concept of regular 
services,  and  will  encourage  the  use  of  electronic  data  transmission  and  more 
effective coordination with customs. 

The  Commission  will  immediately  begin  discussions  with  Member  States  with  a 
view  to  getting  agreement  on  these  guidelines  in  2009.  If  necessary,  amendments 
could also be considered in the current review of Community import procedures for 
animal products and live animals. 

5.1.3.  Rationalisation of documents requested under different bodies of legislations 

Another measure for simplifying administrative procedures will be to clarify the use 
of IMO/FAL harmonised forms through a proposal to the European Parliament and 
the Council for a directive replacing Directive 2002/6/EC on reporting formalities for 
ships  arriving  in  and/or  departing  from  ports9.  The  proposal  will  require  the  use  of 
electronic  data  transmission  systems  for  data  exchange  and  paper-based  documents 
will  be  abandoned  at  the  latest  in  2013.  It  will  pave  the  way  for  a  single  window 
arrangement,  whereby  all  administrative  procedures  will  be  processed  in  a  co-
ordinated fashion amongst the various entities, using electronic data transmission. 

In  addition,  overlaps  with  Directives  95/21/EC10,  2000/59/EC11,  2002/59/EC  and 
Regulation  (EC)  No  725/200412  will  be  eliminated,  while  retaining  the  same 

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Council Directive of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a 
view to completion of the internal market (OJ L 395, 30.12.1989, p. 13). 
Council Directive of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-
Community  trade  in  certain  live  animals  and  products  with  a  view  to  the  completion  of  the  internal 
market (OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29). 
Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000 on protective measures against the introduction into the 
Community  of  organisms  harmful  to  plants  or  plant  products  and  against  their  spread  within  the 
Community (OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1). 
Directive  2002/6/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  reporting  formalities  for  ships 
arriving in and/or departing from ports of the Member States of the Community (OJ L 67, 9.3.2002, p. 
31). 
Council Directive 95/21/EC of 19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using 
Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international 

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information  in  a  standard  form.  The  benefit  of  this  measure  will  be  to  speed  up 
administrative procedures, establishing a framework in which transport operators and 
agents responsible for processing documental formalities do so once only. 

5.2.  Medium-term measures at EU level 

In addition to the above short term measures, the Commission will start working in 
2009 in co-operation with the stakeholders on the enabling measures described below 
with a view to presenting solutions in 2010. 

5.2.1. 

Simplification of administrative formalities for vessels sailing between EU ports, but 
having a call in a third country or a free zone 

For  the  medium  term,  the  Commission  has  already  foreseen  a  facilitation  of  Short 
Sea  Shipping  and  the  Motorways  of  the  Sea  for  vessels  making  a  call  in  a  port 
located  in  a  third  country  or  a  free  zone  by  developingthe  electronic  means 
identifying Community goods carried on board these vessels under the  Modernised 
Customs  Code  and  the  implementation  of  a  Single  Window..  With  this,  the 
Commission will further reduce cost for operators that bring Community goods into 
the Community.  

5.2.2.  Enhanced electronic data transmission 

The Commission announced in the action plan attached to its 2006 White Paper on 
transport  policy  that  it  would  propose  measures  for  the  deployment  of  e-maritime 
systems.  Indeed,  beside  Directive  2002/59/EC,  which  provides  the  legal  basis  for 
VTMIS  harmonisation  and  sharing  of  data  between  Member  States,  several  port 
community information systems are currently in place or about to be implemented in 
the European Union. Each one fulfils a different objective. 

There  are  also  several  networks  for  sharing  information  on  vessels  traffic  between 
Member  States.  So  there  is  a  need  for  EU-wide  integration  of  these  systems, 
including  the  SafeSeaNet  network.  The  integration  of  the  maritime  surveillance 
systems will greatly enhance the monitoring of vessels and traffic tracking. 

This will ease administrative procedures for ships entering or leaving ports, as well 
as customs procedures. Indeed, customs authorities should be users of the e-maritime 
systems,  and  this  system  should  be  fully  compatible  with  the  e-Customs  systems 
introduced by Decision No 70/2008/CE13. 

The  development  of  a  seamless  transport  document  flow,  which  is  the  objective  of 
the  Commission  e-Freight  project,  will  ultimately  boost  the  ability  of  Short  Sea 
Shipping to compete on more door-to-door corridors. 

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standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State 
control) (OJ L 157, 7.7.1995, p. 1). 
Directive  2000/59/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  November  2000  on  port 
reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues (OJ L 332, 28.12.2000, p. 81). 
Regulation  (EC)  No  725/2004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  31  March  2004  on 
enhancing ship and port facility security (OJ L 129, 29.4.2004, p. 6). 
Decision  n°  70/2008  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  a  paperless  environment  for 
customs and trade. 

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5.2.3.  Administrative single window 

The  Commission  is  preparing  measures  for  "National  Single  Windows".  A  Single 
Window  is  a  system  that  allows  traders  to  lodge  information  with  a  single  body  to 
meet all import or export-related regulatory requirements. 

Currently, vessels need to interface with several parties in ports in order to carry out 
all the administrative procedures. This has a substantial effect on costs, the speed of 
goods handling and the system’s overall reliability. Establishing a single desk, where 
all  paperwork  will  be  dealt  with,  will  be  highly  beneficial.  Indeed,  administrative 
formalities will be processed electronically or in coordination between entities. 

A  first  step  has  been  accomplished  with  Decision  No  70/2008/CE  introducing  a 
single  window  for  goods-related  formalities.  Implementing  measures  and  measures 
aimed at ensuring that all information necessary for port authorities are lodged once 
will be developed in cooperation with the various stakeholders. 

This  measure  will  be  coupled  with  the  electronic  data  transmission  one,  whereby 
information  will  be  exchanged  between  vessels  and  authorities  in  an  electronic 
format as far as possible. 

5.2.4. 

Simplification of rules on carriage of dangerous goods by sea 

Regulations  on  dangerous  goods  are  less  favourable  for  sea  transport  than  for  road 
transport.  The  IMDG  Code14  and  Directive  2002/59/EC  contain  specific  provisions 
for  the  carriage  of  dangerous  goods,  setting  up  a  special  procedure,  which  entails 
early advance notifications and declarations, and which is much stricter than for road 
transport. 

One solution will be to simplify the regulations on dangerous goods for RoRo vessels 
carrying  trucks  complying  with  Council  Directive  94/55/EC15  or  the  ADR 
regulation16. 

Once  authorised,  there  will  be  no  need  to  keep  to  the  letter  of  the  complex 
procedures  set  out  in  the  IMDG  Code  and  by  national  regulations.  Maritime 
authorities should recognise ADR certificates issued for trucks. 

The general rules concerning transport, stowage and segregation of dangerous goods 
would continue to apply, in accordance with the IMDG Code, but some extensions in 
the  types  and  quantities  of  dangerous  goods  on  board  should  be  permitted  in  line 
with the ADR Code. 

The Commission intends to consult the stakeholders concerned with the transport of 
dangerous  goods  for  all  transport  modes,  with  a  view  to  presenting  a  proposal  for 
harmonised  simplified  rules  or  to  inviting  Member  States  to  adopt  regional 

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International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code adopted in 1960 by the International Maritime 
Organisation. 
Council  Directive  94/55/EC  of  21  November  1994  on  the  approximation  of  the  laws  of  the  Member 
States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road (OJ L 319, 12.12.1994). 
European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) of 30 
September 1957. 

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agreements  similar  to  the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  already  accepted  by 
countries  bordering  the  Baltic  Sea.  The  proposed  simplification  will  not  reduce  the 
level of safety and security. 

5.3. 

Recommendations to Member States 

5.3.1.  Co-ordination  of  administrative  inspections  with  a  view  to  shortening  turnaround 

times 

Another measure is to organise, where appropriate, “one-shot inspections”, whereby 
any  authorities  that  need  to  board  the  ship  when  in  port  (e.g.  health  and  safety, 
environmental,  veterinary,  phytosanitary  etc.)  for  inspection  will  do  so  in  a 
coordinated  way  at  the  same  time.  In  this  way  delays  will  be  reduced  and  vessels’ 
turnaround times improved. Member States should encourage administrations at port 
level  to  plan  their  inspections  jointly,  in  order  to  reduce  the  negative  economic 
impact on SSS without reducing the quality of the inspections. 

5.3.2.  Facilitate administrative communication 

National language requirements often represent a bottleneck to the development of a 
SSS network. Some areas have overcome their communication problems by agreeing 
to use a shared neighbouring language or English. 

Member States are encouraged to assess the feasibility of using an agreed language 
or  English  as  second  language  for  all  maritime  administrative  documents  and 
procedures. 

The provisions of Chapter V, Regulation 14, paragraph 4 of the SOLAS Convention 
(as  referred  to  in  Directive  2001/25/EC  on  the  minimum  level  of  training  of 
seafarers)  should  be  enforced  as  Member  States  are  Contracting  Parties  to  the 
SOLAS Convention. In practical terms, it would mean that adequate communication 
between the personnel operating in ports (Custom authorities, port authorities, health 
inspectors, etc.) and the vessels’ crews takes place in a common language. 

5.3.3. 

Issuing of Pilot Exemption Certificates (PEC) 

Member  States  are  invited  to  create  a  regulatory  framework  which  would  permit 
easier pilotage exemptions. 

This regulatory framework should allow shipmasters who do not speak the country’s 
native language to obtain pilotage exemptions. The solution will be a simplification 
of the existing regulations, allowing all operators carrying frequent shipping services 
to apply for PECs in a much easier way. 

The  conditions  required  for  obtaining  a  PEC  should  be  reasonable  and  should  not 
contain  elements  of  protectionism.  A  change  in  the  characteristics  of  the  service 
should  not  require  the  master  to  give  evidence  for  all  aspects  of  qualification  and 
examination for a PEC. 

The measure would induce lower costs for SSS operators and faster turnaround times 
of  vessels  in  ports.  The  action  required  to  put  this  recommendation  into  effect  will 
need to be taken at national level and coordinated among national authorities. 

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5.3.4.  Rationalisation of flux and space in ports 

Another recommended measure is the physical separation in ports of areas reserved 
for SSS for Container traffic and RoRo traffic. The benefit of this measure would be 
more rational management of port traffic and faster vessel turnaround times in ports. 

It could result in increased infrastructure costs; however it is not without its benefits. 
In particular, this measure can solve the problem of priority given to deep-sea vessels 
and allow short sea ships to offer optimised and faster round trips. 

6. 

FURTHER ACTION 

6.1. 

A  mechanism  for  better  general  co-ordination  of  administrative  services  at  all 
levels 

Insufficient  co-ordination  at  operational  level  in  port  between  the  various 
administrative services and operators at port level (e.g. port authority, port terminal 
operators, customs office, services in charge of health, phytosanitary and veterinary 
controls and inspections, ship agents, ship masters) and at national and international 
levels have been reported as a major source of unjustified costs for shipping as well 
as a source of inefficiency. 

Member  States  should  invite  local  authorities  to  improve  operational  co-ordination 
by making sure that the sequence of administrative steps does not create unnecessary 
delays. 

This  plan  should  involve  all  stakeholders,  set  up  objectives  for  the  reducing  the 
administrative burden for SSS and plan the necessary training for the use of common 
communication and advanced tools. 

At  European  level,  the  group  of  Focal  Points  of  SSS17  should  point  out  the  liaison 
needed between Member States and ports, report on persisting problems and suggest 
solutions.  The  Commission  should  work  towards  the  necessary  co-operation  and 
information  flows  between  the  Commission  expert  groups  on  specific  issues 
(transport, environment, customs, border controls, health…). 

6.2.  Monitoring and reporting 

The short-term actions should be in place in 2010, and the medium-term actions in 
2013. The effects of the measures on modal shift should be measurable in the year 
following implementation. 

The Commission will monitor progress made in establishing the European maritime 
transport space without barriers and pay heed to any problems in the implementation 
phase, and make provision for any remedial action, if needed. 

17 

Group of focal points on Short Sea Shipping and Motorways of the Sea. This group has been set up by 
the  European  Commission  and  comprises  experts  from  Member  States  and  candidate  countries, 
representatives of Short Sea Shipping Promotion Centres and the Maritime Industry Forum. 

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The  Commission  will  endeavour  to  include  a  report  on  the  action  described  in  this 
Communication, e.g. covering Member States' reports on the entry into force of the 
legal and other actions recommended in this Communication, in its regular report on 
Short Sea Shipping scheduled for 2012. 

7. 

CONCLUSION 

With  its  European  maritime  transport  space  without  barriers,  the  Commission  is 
seeking  to  boost  the  overall  effectiveness  of  intra-EU  maritime  transport  by 
removing major administrative obstacles to the development of SSS. This mode has 
an important role to play in helping the EU to honour its environmental commitments 
and  address  its  energy  challenge,  through  better  competition  conditions  with  road 
transport.  The  concept  is  a  part  of  a  broad  strategy  which  encompasses  the 
Motorways of the Sea project and new SSS services via the Marco Polo programme 
and the TEN-T projects, more transparent port dues, efficient rail and waterway links 
with the  port hinterland and lower impact of ports and  vessels on  the  environment. 
SSS  can  also  help  maintain  the  EU's  strong  know-how  in  shipping  in  general  and 
enable it to keep up its position as a key player in the globalisation of the economy. 

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   EN