Sea Europe welcomes the transition pathway for a Green, Digital, and Resilient European Mobility Industrial Ecosystem

SEA Europe welcomes the Transition Pathway for the European mobility industrial ecosystem published on 29 January by the European Commission. It is the result of a two-years “co-creation” process between industry stakeholders and policy-makers, to identify the challenges, opportunities, and actions needed to lead the green and digital transition and improve the ecosystem’s resilience.

SEA Europe was closely involved in the co-creation process and co-chaired the roundtable on the waterborne sector. The Transition Pathway thus clearly highlights the maritime technology industry’s “call for an effective EU maritime strategy to address the competitiveness challenges of the waterborne industry”.

Christophe Tytgat, Secretary General of SEA Europe, commented, “The Transition Pathway is an important acknowledgement by the European Commission that the maritime technology industry is critical for the greening and digitalisation of the waterborne sector. It makes the challenges clear: although the new economic activities in the blue economy constitute an important opportunity for the European industry – which remains a global leader in complex shipbuilding and in advanced maritime equipment manufacturing –, the European shipbuilding sector is challenged by massive State aid in third countries, subsidized steel, easier access to finance but also local content requirements favouring domestic production and other forms of protectionism. The WTO framework and EU anti-dumping measures are not effective in fixing this competitiveness issue.”

The European Commission now calls on industry stakeholders to “make pledges” in line with the actions identified in the Transition Pathway. SEA Europe will act upon this call and continue working closely with policy-makers and the other stakeholders of the mobility ecosystem towards a vigorous EU maritime industry strategy.

SEA Europe represents close to 100% of the European shipbuilding industry in 16 nations, encompassing the production, maintenance, repair, and conversion of all types of ships and floating structures, commercial as well as naval, including the full supply chain with the various producers of maritime systems, equipment material, and services. As an NGO observer at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), CESA represents the shipbuilding industry and its supply chain from EU Member States, Norway, and Turkey.