The Port of Rotterdam Authority against extra bureaucracy
The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs (the association of port industries) are afraid that the European Commission’s proposal to appoint an independent supervisor for ports in every Member State will lead to a lot of unnecessary procedures and delays, said in the press release.
This supervisor would have to start checking ports in terms of such aspects as setting port tariffs and market access. The proposal forms part of the new port package, which the European Commission published on Thursday. Its purpose is to promote competition in and between ports. This must lead, among other things, to greater free market forces, more transparency, liberalisation and clarity regarding the financing of ports and the provision of service in ports.
There are a number of good aspects to the European Commission’s proposal. For instance, the role of the Port Authority as custodian of the quality and availability of services in the port; promoting the operation of market forces in general and making the government’s role in financing both the infrastructure and the services in the port transparent. According to the CEO, Hans Smits, the appointment of a new supervisor with a supervisory role would actually undermine the intentions of the EC and increase red tape. “In the Netherlands, such new supervision is totally superfluous. Following its autonomisation in 2004, the Port Authority signed a covenant with Deltalinqs, after it had been reviewed by the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa). In it, highly efficient and effective procedures for setting port tariffs were agreed. Furthermore, anyone who has a complaint can report it to the NMa.” The president of Deltalinqs, Steven Lak, agrees: “As clients of the port, we have a well-functioning consultation system with the Port Authority for setting the port tariffs every year. If we are unable to agree on these tariffs, there is an independent arbitration scheme.” Both the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs believe that these instruments are more than adequate to safeguard the implementation of the new European port legislation. The introduction of extra supervisory measures will only result in a greater administrative burden and more bureaucracy.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is currently in consultation with the Commission and assumes that the Commission’s proposal will be amended on this point, and that the ‘Rotterdam model’ will also be included in the new port package.Deltalinqs agrees with this.