The hearing is part of the preparation of an initiative opinion on the same subject.
To meet the goals of the EU ambition to become a "recycling society" the Commission has asked external experts to consider a feasible system for incentives, based on the polluter-pays-principle for end-of-life ships and applicable to all ships entering EU ports. That system will be presented at the end of this year. The EESC intends to issue an opinion on this subject.
The European maritime technology industry is an important sector in terms of employment, directly providing more than 500 000 jobs. Shipyards and firms manufacturing marine equipment make a significant contribution to the economic development of the regions where they are located, and across the entire supply chain, which is particularly important to SMEs. Each direct job in a European shipyard means, on average, seven jobs created in the region.
The actors in the value chain - Shipbuilders
