To meet this goal, the Commission wants to achieve a ban on conventionally-fuelled cars in cities, 40% use of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation, at least 40% cut in shipping emissions and a 50% shift of medium distance intercity passenger and freight journeys from road to rail and waterborne transport.
For seaports, the White Paper announces initiatives in the field of infrastructure, services, financing, safety and security.
Infrastructure concerns the integration of ports into the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T). The Commission has already outlined the basic criteria for the inclusion of ports in both the core and comprehensive network and is expected to produce concrete maps in the next few months. In the White Paper, the Commission highlights the need to have more and efficient entry points into European markets, avoiding unnecessary traffic crossing Europe. Motorways of the Sea will form the maritime dimension of the core network. In general, the Commission expects that the multimodal TEN-T core network will be fully functional by 2030, with a high quality and capacity network by 2050 and a corresponding set of information services. By that time all core seaports should be sufficiently connected to the rail freight network and, where possible, inland waterway system. The Commission expects that 30% of road freight over 300 km should shift to other modes such as rail or waterborne transport by 2030, and more than 50% by 2050. It is interesting to note that, on infrastructure generally, the Commission wants to streamline procedures for projects of overriding European interest in order to ensure reasonable time limits for completing the whole cycle of procedures, ensure a communication framework that is in line with the project implementation and foresee integrated planning which takes environmental issues into account in early stages of the planning procedure.
On port services, the Commission announces it will review restrictions generally and, for pilotage, establish a framework for the granting of Pilot Exemption Certificates (PECs) in EU ports. This process has started earlier this year already, with a first consultation round of Member States and studies on dock labour and PECs in preparation. The Commission further confirms its ambition to complete the internal market for shipping through the development of a ‘Blue Belt’ and corresponding ‘Blue Lanes’ in ports.
As regards port financing, the aim is to enhance transparency by lowering the threshold of the general Transparency Directive. This should help in clarifying the destination of public funding to the different port activities with a view to avoid any distortion of competition. It is known that the services of DG Competition are about to start a study on port financing and also the European Parliament has commissioned a report on State aid in ports. Whether State aid guidelines for ports will come forth in the end or not is not entirely clear, but the White Paper does announce that ‘guidelines providing clarification concerning public funding’ will be issued for different modes of transport and transport infrastructure ‘where necessary’. In the longer term (2016 to 2020), the Commission also plans measures to internalise costs for local pollution and noise in ports.
Finally, on safety and security, SafeSeaNet will be developed into the core system for all relevant maritime information tools needed to support maritime safety and security and the protection of the marine environment from ship-source pollution. The Commission also announces measures to enhance security of cargo in ports.
“The approach of the White Paper is generally positive and we certainly welcome the intention to make planning procedures for infrastructure more efficient”, said ESPO Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven in a first reaction, “As for ports, many of the announced initiatives were somehow in the pipeline already and correspond to our expectations. We will however be making a thorough analysis of all proposals and revert with a formal response in the near future.” The White Paper and all accompanying documents can be downloaded from the Commission’s website where also a short film can be found that highlights the objectives of the new transport policy in an original way.
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