Brussels, 5 November 2019
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On the 5th of November, FEPORT attended the Fair Shipping Conference organized by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF).
The conference discussed how to reconcile the competitiveness of EU shipping with societal goals such as EU employment and environmental sustainability.
ETF stressed that seafarers working on vessels operating in EU waters should be able to benefit from European social standards, rather than international minimum standards.
State aid to the shipping sector and the recent ITF report on “Maritime Subsidies” were also extensively discussed. ETF argued in favour of the continuation of such subsidies but stressed that they should be made conditional on shipowners’ ability to deliver on quality employment for European seafarers.