European Commission Unveils Maritime Industry Strategy for Sustainability and Competitiveness

The European Commission has announced the creation of an industrial maritime strategy to boost the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of Europe’s maritime manufacturing sector. The strategy aims to support the green and digital transition of the waterborne sector as part of the European Green Deal. This includes strengthening the single market for transport, increasing modal shift towards sustainable transport means, and accelerating the roll-out of trans-European infrastructure. The strategy will also involve developing a comprehensive EU Port Strategy and a Sustainable Transport investment plan, focusing on scaling up investments in transport decarbonization solutions and driving the modernization of transport systems.

Furthermore, the European Commission’s mission letters highlight the importance of the green and digital transition of the waterborne sector, emphasizing research, development, and innovation. The long-term strategy of the Waterborne Technology Platform, which focuses on technology leadership in waterborne, requires collaboration across all segments of the European waterborne transport sector. This strategy aims to ensure that the EU’s waterborne transport sector remains a global leader and provides quality jobs, with sustainability and digitalization as key focus areas.

SEA Europe, representing the European shipbuilding industry, has welcomed the European Commission’s announcement, recognizing the crucial role of Europe’s maritime technology industry in delivering sustainable and digitalized assets. SEA Europe stresses the importance of a new strategy, industrial focus on manufacturing, and collaboration among various Commissioners to promote and defend Europe’s industrial interests and capacity in the maritime sector. The association also calls for innovative policy solutions and strong support for European manufacturing to compete globally in technology leadership and critical supply chains.

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