European Maritime Space

It's time for Europe to get serious about enhancing seafarers' living and working conditions and protecting its maritime jobs and maritime skills base! The time has come for the European Commission and the industry to take social dumping and unfair competition out of the EU/EEA.

The shocking and unprecedented sackings at P&O Ferries will not help level the playing field in European waters. It is high time to deliver a European Maritime Space for fair and sustainable shipping.

A Fair and Sustainable Shipping is our proposal for a future European Maritime Space. To start building together the foundation of such a future space, an essential aspect needs to be addressed from the very beginning: how can EU initiatives contribute to sustainable and quality shipping in Europe by promoting a race to the top instead of a race to the bottom?

From the ongoing challenge of seafarers, crew members and fishers sometimes being denied emergency medical treatment by port states to the global scandal that is the crew change crisis, waterborne transport workers need proper recognition and a sustainable future.

Seafarers are often labelled as a “special case” and excluded from legislation protecting workers’ rights in land-based sectors, undermining their rights and protection. This must stop - seafarers are not second-class workers and should be covered by the EU legislation minimum standards applicable to all workers.

ETF responds to the European Commission's new MoS Detailed Implementation Plan 2020.