ECSA, the aids of State are essential in order to guarantee the competitiveness of the European industry of the shipping



The European industry of the shipping contributes with 145 billion euros to the Gross Domestic Product one of the European Union. Data, reported per year 2012, is introduced in a study on the economic value of the field of the marine transports of the EU that is commissioned by the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) to British Oxford Economics and that it is introduced today to an organized lunch to svoltosi the European Parliament and to a seminary to the presence of the vice president of the EU commission, Siim Kallas, in charge of the transports.

In the 2012 European industry of the marine transport, in whose perimeter the study of Oxford Economics shifts the blame onto the 28 States of the EU more Norway, it has guaranteed occupation to 2,3 million workers (between 2004 and the 2012 direct occupation has grown of +22%) and has generated tax revenue for 410 billion euros. The study evidences that the European field of the shipping, that is very more productive in terms of GDP generated for worker regarding the average EU, remains the leader of the shipping world-wide and currently represents about 40% of world-wide the gross tonnage. Moreover between the beginning of the 2005 and beginning of the 2014 fleet controlled from the EU it is increased of beyond 70% in terms of tonnage. Among other things the EU controls 60% of container vessels of the world in terms of gross tonnage and in the within of the European fleet the strongest increase between 2005 and 2014 is recorded in the segment of the ships offshore.

Moreover the study of Oxford Economics emphasizes also the nexus of causality between the fleets under European control (included the ships whose last property or the control resides in an eu country, but that they can be under flag of a extra-EU nation), that they have grown in spite of a recent period of particular difficulty, and the aids of State approved of from the EU in order to support the marine transport, in particular as the fiscal system of the tonnage tax. According to the analysis of Oxford Economics, the economic contribution of the shipping to the GDP of the EU would have been the much less important one, perhaps pairs to the recorded half of that in 2012, if such forms of aids publics were not introduced by several Member States of the European Union beginning from the end of years ‘90.

At the beginning of the 2014 fleet controlled from the EU it was constituted by 23.000 ships for a total of 660 million ton and gross capacities in tons 450 million of tonnage and represented 39% of the tonnage of world-wide gross capacity and 40% of the tonnage of world-wide tonnage (with an light decrease regarding 41% in both the measurements in 2005). Greece has the controlled fleet larger of the EU (pairs to 36% of the tonnage total and to 43% of the gross capacity total) continuation from Germany (21% tonnage and 19% capacity). The main type of ships under control of the EU is that of portarinfuse (28% of the tonnage of tonnage total), followed from the tankers (25%) and from portacontainer (25%).

"Even if very rarely the shipping it has been under the reflectors - the general secretary of the ECSA, Patrick Verhoeven has commented - has not never stopped to carry out an important role for the European economy. The European industry of the shipping continues to maintain own role in these difficult times in confronts of the trained competition of centers of the shipping of third-country, in particular those in Asia and the Middle East. Today - it has concluded Verhoeven - it continues to being a world leader and an important source of yield and places of work in Europe".

"The marine transport - the vice president of the EU commission has confirmed, Siim Kallas - is a cornerstone of the European industry and carries out a role key in our economy. Europe needs marine transport in order to prosper, so as to be able to supply more occupation and innovation. For a total field as the shipping we need to look to the total norms developed near the International Maritime Organization. It is the EU and the IMO has the objective municipality of a sure and sustainable marine transport. It is our responsibility common to demonstrate that the total regulation works in effective way".