European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) welcomed the focus of European Commission’s new Competitiveness Compass on competitiveness and open trade.
With a statement, ECSA pointed out that shipping moves around 76% of EU’s international trade, promotes international partnerships and reduces strategic dependencies and added that European Shipowners support the Compass’s focus on making processes faster and simpler for European businesses.
Furthermore, ECSA stated that it welcomes the new simplification approach and the commitment of the Commission to reduce reporting burden by at least 25% for all companies and at least 35% for SMEs.
The Competitiveness Compass highlights that Europe’s security depends more than ever on our ability to innovate, compete and grow. It also lays out a pathway to a competitive industry by closing the innovation gap and by investing in clean tech and clean fuels. The shipping sector is an essential part of our economy’s energy transition.
…said Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General, ECSA.
On 30 January, the World Shipping Council (WSC) also welcomed the new Competitive Compass however urged the Commission to further support the sector on its path to decarbonise supply chains, foster open trade and protect critical sea lanes from geopolitical disruptions.