Kallas clarifies the objectives of the legislative proposal of the EU commission for the ports



Taking part today to Vahrn to the shareholders' meeting of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), the vice president of the EU commission and in charge of the transports, Siim Kallas, has introduced the recent legislative proposal for the ports advanced in recent days from the European institution ( on 23 May 2013) and it has emphasized that it is formulated after to have "listened and to be itself consulted over a long time span with ESPO, its single the associate ones and the harbour field". "I am convinced - it has made one's debut - that we have found a good balance between the expectations of the many involved subjects".

Kallas has evidenced the disomogeneità of the European harbour field: "if Europe is center of some of the best harbour structures of the world - it has found - the efficiency and the performances vary very, determining a real watershed in the EU. You for example take Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amburgo, that they enliven 20% of all the goods. I know that the performances are one of the main worries of ESPO. In no way we are trying to interfere in the good operating practical. But my worry - it has specified - is that all the ports do not offer the same one elevated level of service".

"It is clear - it has said Kallas answering to some critics whom moved to the proposals of the EU commission, between which that of the harbour community of Rotterdam that is worried to proliferate of the bureaucratic procedures ( on 23 May 2013) - draft not to move the traffic from some ports to others. Draft - it has clarified - not to be said the customers which ports would have to use. But draft - it has explained - to short create better conditions so as to have a greater number of marine connections beam, to do so as that all the ports totally are integrated in the logistic chain. Also the more efficient ports - it has observed the vice president of the Commission - need other ports for to have happened, for example in order to develop operations of hub-and-spoke and in order to avoid the congestion".

"What means? It means - it has continued Kallas - that we must improve the local connections with the street nets, railway and of internal the navigable ways that are fed from the ports, to optimize totally the services in order to make the best use of the ports so as they are currently, to create an operating atmosphere in a position to attracting the investments that are so necessary if there is need to widen the ability, so as must be made. The investor need legal and normative certainties and less bureaucratic diffuseness".

"With the exception of other fields of the transports - it has found Kallas - the EU does not have almost some harbour legislation in matter of access to the services, of transparency financial institution or of burdens for I use it of infrastructures. A thing that has become clear over the years is that a scene "business as usual" will not at the market afford to resolve these problems".

"The proposal - it has still emphasized the European commissioner to the transports - sight not to create puts up administrative burdens or puts up costs. In fact, it will simplify and not only reduce the bureaucracy, but it would have to reduce the harbour costs almost 7% and to allow with the economy of the EU saves until 10 billion euros within 2030. It would have also to generate greater activity for the short sea shipping. This means more harbour activity and therefore a meaningful number of new places of work".

Therefore - it has specified Kallas - "what is proposing the Commission exactly? In the first instance draft of a combination of legal measures and measures "soft". It is concentrated to us on where the EU can make the difference. It is based to us on policies in vigor and the diversity of the European ports is respected. And the specific problematic areas are faced only that must be changed".

One of the participation areas will be that in order to promote the free performance of the services: "A free performance of the services, without some discrimination - it has evidenced the European commissioner - would have to become a general principle. This is online with the principles of the only market of the European Union, of which I am a convinced supporter. Al moment - Kallas has stated - is not easy to defy the conferred monopolies and sole rights from the national legislation. We propose procedures new, transparent and opened in order to select the suppliers of services, with rules in order to avoid possible tariff abuses by operators in possession of sole rights".

Moreover Kallas has restated that "it must be improved the transparency of the financings to the aim to avoid distortions of the competition and to clarify that use is made of the public money. This - the European commissioner has said - will attract the private investor, that they in the long term need stability and certainty of the right. According to the rules today, many ports that receive money publics do not have to hold an accounting separated between their economic activities. This is profitable difficult to follow the financing flows and to guarantee that not there is some violation of the norms on the aids of State. In any case the public financing does not have to be used in order to distort the harbour taxes for uses it of infrastructures, that they would have to be fixed in transparent and not discriminatory way. The Harbour Authorities - it has observed - would have to be more independent and to fix to be same the rates, second own business strategies and of investment. But this must be made in fair and transparent way. Straight the EU would have to be clarified in order to allow with the ports of modulating the rates based on their politics, for example in order to attract to the marine transport short beam or the ships that have better environmental performances".

"I know that some of you - it has added Kallas referendosi to the fears expressed from some representatives of European ports - have worries about the proposed supervisory body. But this is not an innovation. It already exists in many Member States and will be center for an appeal first degree. This means to reduce the administrative burdens for the resolution of the controversies and, if possible, to hold them outside from the courts".

"At last - it has concluded Kallas - as in many other economic fields, in the ports the requirements of recruitment of the staff are changing quickly. An increase of a million tons of goods that passes through a port creates an average of 300 new places of work. Within the 2030 we expect an increase of 15% of places of work, for which there is a clear necessity to attract workers. Modern harbour services and a stable atmosphere must involve also a modern organization of the job and modern dispositions in social matter. The experience of the Member States that has put into effect harbour reforms exhibition that open and exaustive arguments between dependent and employers on issues tied to the job can make the difference. It is for that we are creating a special committee for the ports: the committee of "social dialogue". In the first place it would have to be offered the possibility to see which will be the results and we will estimate its progresses in 2016".