EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AMENDS EU PORT REFORM

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AMENDS EU PORT REFORM    The European Parliament has backed the proposed port competition directive proposal of the European Commission, but advised it to exclude pilot services from the scope of the proposed regulation.
   In a formal opinion on the text of the reform, the parliament also voted to support the EC’s proposal to include cargo handling services in the scope of the directive.
   The European Parliament has substantially amended the EC proposal, including concerning the transparency of public funding in European seaports and the range of port services to be covered by the directive.
   The parliament adopted amendments designed to ensure fair competition among and within European seaports, introduce financial transparency and lay down clear rules for uniformly assessing public funding for seaports, seaport systems and port undertakings. Members of the parliament “believe care must be taken not to discriminate against publicly-owned seaports or seaport systems and port undertakings,” a spokesman for the European Parliament said.
   “Since the Commission was not willing to lay down guidelines for state aid in seaports, Parliament introduced a new article formulating the principles for state aid applying specifically to seaports,” the spokesman added.
   A majority in the parliament felt that pilotage should not be included in the list of services covered by this directive, but continue to be regulated by public authorities “for obvious reasons of maritime safety.”
   Shippers’ and shipowners’ organizations in Europe favor the port reform, whereas port businesses and unions oppose it.
   “A fuller debate about the directive’s potential impact would have been helpful,” a spokesman for the European Sea Ports Organization said. European Sea Ports Organization said that it will continue to work for a result “which can be satisfactory for the entire ports sector.”
   The ports’ organization said that the amendments introduced concerning port financing and state aid raise some new possibilities. “These amendments are above all political statements and we have yet to see what would be the most appropriate form of legislation to implement them,” it said.