Strengthening the EU maritime space through coordinated investment policies, social partners and civil society

Practical information

• Composition of the study group
• Administrator: Aleksandra SARMAN GRILC, Assistant: Maria Grazia RUOCCO
• Foreseen for the TEN section meeting:26 September 2024
• Foreseen for the EESC plenary session: 23-24 October 2024
• Three representatives from Enlargement Candidate Members (ECMs) will be invited to follow the drafting of this opinion: Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Kıvanç Eliaçık and Güneş Engin Karamancı from Turkey.

Background

The strategic importance of maritime transport has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as 75% of the EU's external trade is carried out by sea, thus ensuring the continued transport and trade of food and medical supplies. Protecting our oceans and seabed is a prerequisite for an effective maritime policy, and global maritime security is necessary to unlock the potential of a sustainable blue economy. In addition to the Russia-Ukraine war, attacks on maritime security are emerging globally, threatening the security of the global economy, data flows and trade, as well as those involved in it. Climate change, environmental degradation of coastal and marine areas and maritime protection require coordinated joint action.

Major investments are required in the field of new technology adoption, the use of alternative fuels and advanced port and marina infrastructure, along with reforms in the regulatory framework at European and international level. The current proposal for an own-initiative opinion seeks to investigate the mechanics and the optimal policy mix to enhance the green capacity of the European shipping industry, without putting at risk the competitiveness and comparative advantages of the maritime and shipping sector.

The opinion could also provide several social, environmental, and economic insights into the development of a green shipping industry and the substitution of obsolete, non-economic, non-sustainable fleets. Faced with both challenges and opportunities with the various transitions underway, the maritime sector also has to drive the decarbonisation and digitalisation of the industry, with ensuring a just transition and advancing its competitiveness.