EU plans to scrap customs for sea cargo

Customs controls would be abolished for goods moving between ports in the European Union under plans unveiled on Wednesday.

Shipping companies welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to scrap controls on cargo moved by sea within its borderless market, putting them on the same footing as road hauliers. They carry 40 per cent of internal trade, measured by tonne kilometres.

At the moment customs authorities treat any vessel leaving a port as entering international waters so there are no intra-EU journeys.

“Customs has simplified things but cargo travelling between EU ports still goes through a lot of time-consuming and complex procedures,” said Alfons Guinier, of the European Community Shipowners’ Association. “It should go through the same procedures as cargo by road.”

Regular scheduled services already have fast-tracked procedures with customs.

The idea was contained in a maritime strategy for the EU unveiled by José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, and Joe Borg, the maritime affairs commissioner. Mr Borg will start consulting on detailed ideas this month and will propose legislation before the end of next month.

Their aim is to shift goods from road to the so-called “motorways of the sea” as congestion increases. “Short sea shipping . . . . is engaged in fierce competition with land transport. However, it has lower externalities than land transport, has a high potential for maintaining European technological know-how. . . . and is essential to create jobs for European seafarers,” the report says.

The UK is likely to be most affected by these proposals because almost all goods arrive through ports and are, therefore, subject to customs checks. UK officials said the plans were a surprise. A government spokeswoman said, “We are studying this and looking at the implications for the UK.”

The EU’s 27 member states have in the past been reluctant to scrap controls over sea cargo amid security concerns. In addition, Commission officials said there were other obstacles to be overcome, such as provisions in International Maritime Law, which limits sovereignty to coastal waters.

However, Mr Guinier said that the strategy had been discussed for more than a year. “This idea now has support at the highest political level.”

Mr Borg’s spokeswoman said the commissioner had strong backing from governments. “The bureaucracy causes delay and adds to cost,” she said.

Jan Velleman of Eurocop, which represents police officers, said that the scheme could work if properly resourced. “Ports are a special concern because of the amount of smuggling and illegal activity. However, the amount of crime stopped at the border these days is small. You stop crime by investing in law enforcement and sharing information between countries.”

Shipping companies also welcomed the Commission’s decision to leave international bodies to set carbon and sulphur emissions standards. However, Brussels will exempt ships connecting to onshore power supplies in port from tax on electricity, to encourage them to switch off engines.

EU countries will use satellite mapping to divide their waters into zones prioritised for different activities such as wind farms, transport corridors or tourism. This could mean closing some fishing grounds. Mr Borg wants fishermen to become “guardians of the sea”, being paid to look after the environment to prevent a collapse of fish stocks. Next week he will outline measures to crack down on destructive fishing practices and illegal fishing.

Source:FT.com