SEA Europe is happy with the European Commission’s plans for ‘a new industrial maritime strategy to enhance the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of Europe’s maritime manufacturing sector.’ This industry is a cornerstone of Europe’s strategic autonomy and economic resilience, states SEA Europe.
SEA Europe represents the European maritime technology industry, including shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers. The European Commission (EC) announcement is significant, according to SEA Europe, as it recognises the crucial role of Europe’s maritime technology industry in delivering sustainable and digitalised assets for shipping, the blue economy (including strategic sectors such as offshore renewable energy), and naval defence.
Also read: SEA Europe urges more support for sustainable inland fleet
The organisation emphasises the importance of each aspect of the Commission’s announcement:
- A new strategy: The European Union must not merely repurpose existing, ineffective tools, but should design an innovative approach with new policy solutions, as outlined in SEA Europe’s Manifesto, also see link to SWZ article below on building 10,000 ships in Europe.
- An industrial strategy: This strategy should place the shipbuilding supply chain at the heart of the maritime economy.
- A strategy focused on manufacturing: It should prioritise Europe’s manufacturing sector to defend and promote Europe’s industrial interests and capacity amid intense competition from Asia for technology leadership and control over critical supply chains.
Also read: SEA Europe: Build 10,000 ships in Europe by 2035
Broader scope
SEA Europe notes that while this announcement was made in the mission letter of the Commissioner-designate for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, it should encompass a broader scope, addressing maritime manufacturing, shipbuilding capacity, and technological leadership as fundamental elements of the entire maritime sector. Therefore, SEA Europe calls for strong collaboration among Commissioners responsible for transport, industry, technology, trade, competition, and research.
As the representative voice of European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers, SEA Europe is committed to collaborating with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other relevant parties to shape and implement this future industrial maritime strategy.
Also read: René Berkvens re-elected as Chairman of SEA Europe
