The European Union Commission has presented its proposals to assist the European shipbuilding industry under the LeaderSHIP 2020 programme.
The LeaderSHIP 2020 strategy’s recommendations range from the wider use of EU instruments to foster new skills, competence and qualifications, to public private partnerships for new maritime research, European Investment Bank (EIB) funding opportunities and smart specialisation strategies in regional policy. The strategy said there is a need to redefine the role of the OECD Working Party on shipbuilding subsidies, in order to consider new ways to regulate unfair and unsustainable market practices. This should include monitoring of government interventions and price developments. New methods to reduce capacity and overhaul common rules should also be explored. The plan was presented by Mr Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for enterprise and industry policy together with SEA Europe, the European Ships and Maritime Equipment Association. The new strategy is the result of close cooperation between the shipbuilding industry, the trade unions, maritime regions, member states and the European Commission. The European ships’ and maritime equipment industry employs more than 500,000 people and has an average annual turnover of around 72 billion euros, but faces strong competition from Asian yards, and the effects of an unprecedented shipping crisis. The new strategy also highlights the problem of skills shortages for the sector and proposes a systematic approach at an EU level to map the available skills and to address skill and training needs, through the use of EU programmes such as the Programme for Social Change and Innovation 2014-2020. Designing a broad framework and strategy to include ‘public values targets’ in European public purchase tenders as well as higher levels of innovation, and enforcing greater reciprocity in market opening between the EU and non-EU countries are also set out as goals. “Access to finance has become the single most important factor in competing for international shipbuilding contracts,” the EU said. “Methods to address issues in access to finance, financing environmental improvements and diversification into new markets include:
Making best use of the EIB funding opportunities and possibilities for
broadening its lending activities, primarily for projects related to green
shipping, offshore renewable energy, and retrofitting.” The strategy also
called for research into a potential measure for long term ship financing by
the European Commission, member states, financial operators and the maritime technology industry.