European port lobby proposes dropping “self-handling” proposal

European port lobby proposes dropping “self-handling” proposal

European port lobby proposes dropping “self-handling” proposal

The European Sea Ports Organization, a Brussels-based lobby group, said its annual conference held in Malta last week has adopted a resolution to seek amendments to the new directive proposal of the European Commission on market access to port services, including the exclusion of the so-called “self-handling” proposal.
   The European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) said the directive’s controversial proposal on “self-handling” — allowing the ship’s crew or land-based personnel of the shipping line to carry out cargo handling activities instead of stevedores — should be excluded from the directive.
   “We are not saying that self-handling is not possible,” said Patrick Verhoeven, secretary general of the European port group. Instead, it is suggesting that the issue should be dealt at the local or national level — not through a European regulation.
   “Self-handling is already a fact in many European ports today,” said Giuliano Gallanti, chairman of the European Sea Ports Organization. “The demand for it is moreover not enormous, it is limited to specific trades such as roll-on/roll-off and ferries.”
   Ports that allow such practices include some ports of Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, Verhoeven said.
   Stevedores’ unions organized strikes against the EC port reform in 2003, particularly opposing self-handling, which they regard as a threat to their jobs. A first directive proposal was voted down by the European Parliament in November 2003, and the EC has recently come up with a revised proposal.
   “Our aim is to make a critical, but constructive contribution to the political debate in the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers,” Gallanti said. The port group believes that the current proposal “is too dogmatic and does not correspond with the realities of the market,” he added.
   ESPO members agreed on changes to the port reform proposal, which they say should guarantee a better protection of existing service providers and attract potential investors.
   “Due to the enormous traffic increase in European ports there is an urgent need for new investments,” the port group said. “A legal framework could encourage these by creating more transparency and by clarifying to what extent public financial support is allowed for port projects.”
   The European Parliament will be holding a public hearing on the directive June 14.
   The European Sea Ports Organization expects the European Parliament will reach agreement in first reading by the end of this year.