In its plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament has supported the draft Directive intended to simplify and facilitate the administrative procedures for ships entering and leaving European ports. The provisions of the Directive will be phased in between 2012 and 2015. This Directive will contribute to making maritime transport more attractive and supporting maritime activity.

The support to the Directive gives the Member States, industries and port authorities five years to set up a one-stop administrative shop in every port. From 2013, the Directive will also simplify and harmonise a certain number of procedures.

Maritime transport remains subject to complex procedures as opposed to the other means of transport. Under customs regulations and international law, a ship is considered to leave a Member State’s territory once it crosses the territorial water limit of 12 nautical miles. A vessel sailing from one European Union port to another has to go through administrative formalities on both departure and arrival in the same way as international shipping.

After the adoption of guidelines for veterinary checks in 2009 and the amendment of the implementing rules for the Customs Code in 2010, the Directive adopted today completes the first instalment of short-term actions planned as part of the ‘European maritime transport area without borders’ initiative launched in 2009.

It is also a new step towards establishing a framework that will allow a more integrated management of the flow of administrative and commercial information accompanying the movement of goods into, out of and within the European Union.