EC to simplify short-sea procedures

摘要

The European Commission has launched a pilot project called 'blue belt' to see how administrative and customs procedures for environmentally-friendly short-sea shipping within the EU can be simplified, particularly for vessels trading between EU member states only. The problem that needs to be overcome is that trucks and trains can go straight across member country's borders without stopping, whereas ships are still required to request clearance and submit detailed mani- fests every time a port is entered.