Editorial:

Shipping gains on EU enlargement

The enlargement of the European Union is in most aspects positive for maritime activities, not least in Northern Europe. The Baltic Sea region has the fastest growing economy in the Union, which increases demand for transportation, ashore and at sea. Although heavy investments are made in the shore-based infrastructure, the transport bottlenecks are by no means history and both industry and politicians will continue to shift focus towards seaborne alternatives. Polish shipyards add additional weight to shipbuilding industry in the EU, which hopefully will lead to enhanced political interest to find solutions to the problems this industry sector is facing.

The enlargement has also triggered changes within the EU institutions that could be promising for shipping and transport. Ten new member states means ten new commissioners and as a consequence the institutions are up for major organisational changes.

In the Commission, the present Directorate-General for Transport and Energy, DG-TREN is likely to be divided into three Directorates, DG Transport, DG Energy and DG Security.

The new president, Portugal’s José M. Barroso has appointed Jaques Barrot as commissioner for transport. Unlike his predecessor Loyola de Palacio, Jaques Barrot will be able to focus entirely on transport issues.

The fact that Jaques Barrot is from France, one of the heavyweight states in the Union, and that Barroso also made Barrot one of five vice presidents, implies that transport has gained importance in the new commission.

The 67-year old Barrot is a lawyer who has devoted almost his whole life to politics. He has held several minister positions in France and his personality is said to be quite the opposite of Loyola de Palacio’s. Barrot is a listener and a low-profile, consensus politician.

He has however much to learn about his new area of responsibility. During his long political life, he has never entered the transport sector. His skills in English, the language of transport, are also said to be in need of improvement.

His position in the Commission has disappointed the political opposition in France. They claim that transport is a second-grade policy portfolio and that the important internal market portfolio had been more appropriate for a French commissioner. Barrot has countered by saying that transport is “one of the major axes of European construction”, that the transport budget is one of the four largest in the EU and by pointing out that he also is vice president.

The appointment of Barrot will also lead to changes in top management of the Directorate-General. This is today headed by director-general Francois Lamoureux, and two Frenchmen at the top is not in line with EU regulations. Lamoureux will probably leave his position sometime next year.

There will also be a reorganisation within the EU Parliament. The new Parliament will have 20 standing committees and two sub-committees. The RETT Committee (Regional, Transport and Tourism) will be divided into two new Committees; REGI for Regional policy and TRAN for Transport and Tourism. Also this will increase focus on transport issues.

All in all, shipping and maritime transport stands a good chance to be a winner when EU grows.

Rolf P Nilsson – Editor-in-chief