Towards an EU maritime strategy: Navigating into the future through coordinated investment policies, legislative initiatives, social dialogue and involving civil society

Key Points

The EESC:

• calls for a new EU maritime strategy that aims to create a European maritime space for more competitive and economically, environmentally and socially sustainable  EU shipping with clear and transparent rules, including the employment dimension;
• calls for an immediate action plan that reacts to long-standing illicit activities, new and evolving threats such as the operations of shadow fleets and increasing geopolitical competition, and responds to the current needs of the EU’s  defence, its international relations and trade policies;
• advocates a true level playing field where substandard vessels must not be allowed to operate in European waters, competing with vessels registered under high performing and leading registries;
• stresses the need to create an enabling environment for the reflagging of EU controlled tonnage back to EU national flags;
• underlines the importance of a new social contract, which includes the efficient enforcement of existing legislation in the sector, and the political will to undertake legally binding legislative initiatives offering seafarers the same level of social protection as people working ashore.