Debate on European state aid for shipping sector
The report on the maritime subsidies of OECD countries published by the International Transport Forum (ITF) remains in the headlines. The main conclusions mostly address the EU state aid guidelines (SAG) and their application in EU member states. The ITF report questions the effectiveness of the SAG and makes recommendations for improvements. The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (Ecsa), Brussels (Belgium), showed its resentment. The association "is of the firm opinion that the SAG are a profoundly effective instrument to maintain and strengthen the European shipping sector in a highly competitive global environment." Other sources are put forward to underline this perspective, publications such as the Oxford Economics’ Study on the Economic Contribution of the EU shipping industry to the European economy, growth and jobs. Ecsa also referred to the European Commission’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the SAG, which arrived at the conclusion that the SAG must be maintained. (fd)