Maritime transport: cabotage and international tramp services

 The committee adopted the report by Corien WORTMANN-KOOL (EPP-ED, NL) broadly approving the proposal on ending the block exemption of liner shipping conferences (which fix freight charges and manage vessel capacities) from general competition rules. It adopted a number of amendments under the consultation procedure:

- to provide legal certainty, the Commission should adopt guidelines intended to replace shipping confererences before the end of the transitional period. The guidelines should take particular account of the interests of small and medium-sized shipowners and those operating in specialised trades;

- guidelines should also be established for tramp vessel services;

- given that liner conferences operate in a global context, it would be useful to acquire more insight into the position of third countries and assess to what extent they are willing to adapt their system to the new EU policies. The Commission should therefore submit to Parliament a "transparent overview" of the position of countries such as China, the USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore and India.