The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs (the association of port industries) are afraid that the European Commission’s proposal to appoint an independent supervisor for ports in every Member State will lead to a lot of unnecessary procedures and delays.
This supervisor would have to start checking ports in terms of such aspects as setting port tariffs and market access. The proposal forms part of the new port package, which the European Commission published on Thursday. Its purpose is to promote competition in and between ports. This must lead, among other things, to greater free market forces, more transparency, liberalisation and clarity regarding the financing of ports and the provision of service in ports.
There are a number of good aspects to the European Commission’s proposal. For instance, the role of the Port Authority as custodian of the quality and availability of services in the port; promoting the operation of market forces in general and making the government’s role in financing both the infrastructure and the services in the port transparent.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is currently in consultation with the Commission and assumes that the Commission’s proposal will be amended on this point, and that the ‘Rotterdam model’ will also be included in the new port package.Deltalinqs agrees with this.
Source: Port of Rotterdam
