Page 35 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2017 publication

Autumn 2017 European Energy Innovation
Increasingly, there is investment in both
ports and terminals within ports from
international sources outside the EU.
This is a relatively recent phenomenon
and, while welcoming the availability
of investment from all sources, we
have to be careful not to cede control
over essential and critical European
port infrastructure of general interest.
If foreign governments are looking at
European ports as strategic assets, it is
time for Europe to do the same.
Our second priority is facilitating
maritime trade. European ports are very
keen to see the administrative burden,
which characterizes maritime transport
still today, reduced. We are very much
aware how alleviating this burden
would take away one of the only
disadvantages of EU maritime transport
nowadays. Increasing the share of
maritime transport in the transport of
goods within Europe and increasing the
efficiency of maritime operations and
operators would be a big step towards
a more sustainable supply chain.
The European Commission is currently
preparing the ground for developing
a European maritime single window
environment. As ESPO, we can
understand the rationale behind a
single window environment if this
interface is reliable and resilient, if it is close to urban agglomerations. This
more than a mere letter box. The single
window should have the competences
and responsibility to unfold the data
set delivered by the shipping line
and dispatch the information needed
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EUROPEAN PORTS
by and to the different authorities. If
not the single window will not be a
facilitator of maritime trade, but will just the port and society as a whole that
move the burden from ship to shore.
At the same time we believe that much
can – and has to - be done in the field
of harmonisation and simplification
of formalities. Asking the same data
elements in the same way should
become the principle. We should
also dare to question the need for
certain formalities or the modalities for
providing these formalities.
These efforts have to be made
together with all authorities and all
legislators, national, European and
international. In this discussion we
should not confuse the recipient of
the information with the authorities
using and needing the information.
We should not overestimate the role
of port authorities. We should address
the users of the information and look at
the policy requiring the data. Finally, we
should also look ahead and understand
that selling platforms like Alibaba might
become the port clients of tomorrow.
Last but not least, ESPO and its
members put a strong emphasis on
their sustainable agenda. 90% of
European ports are situated in or
implies that ports are very much part
of their local communities and are part
of their societal concerns and their
engagement towards the environment
and sustainability. Ports in Europe
need to secure their “licence”, ports
must assure the people living around
their operations and investments are
sustainable. But how far should this
engagement go?
Be it on decarbonization, air quality or
protection of our oceans, European
ports are very keen on helping to
address the issue and to engage and
even invest in solutions. Within ESPO
we support this engagement, whereby
some ports are really punching above
their weight. I believe however that
this voluntarism should not be abused
by turning it into a law. It should not
come instead of policy options tackling
the real causes of the problems and
applying the polluter pay principle.
The last decades, European ports have
already been faced with important
economic swings. Despite the fact that
political decisions, authorisations and
often burdensome procedures prevent
ports to move fast, they have proven
to be resilient and dynamic. Let us
hope that they can further build on this
resilience to face new incoming waves
of change. l