ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the problems facing the European shipping industry and provides a critical analysis of the EC maritime transport policy. Maritime transport is therefore of the greatest importance for the EC. The EC high degree of dependency on world trade, the new developments in the world sea trading, the decline in European fleets, and the uncoordinated actions of EC Member States urgently created the need for a coherent and a comprehensive EC maritime policy. The European Parliament’s Report on Maritime Transport include proposals to replace national taxes levied on shipowners and income taxation of seafarers by a single tax on EUROS vessels linked to their age and tonnage. There also are significant differences between Member States on the interpretation of international requirements on maritime and safety and pollution. Up to the late 1980s EC maritime policy was trying to balance the objectives of a Single Market with the need of an internationaly competitive European shipping industry.
