Call for EC to clarify state aid rules

The call by CLECAT and FEPORT, on behalf of thousands of European freight forwarders, port companies and terminals, follows the decision of the European Commission to clear Italian maritime industry state aid. The special tax regime will be applied to a shipping company’s core revenues from shipping activities, such as cargo and passenger transport, plus certain ancillary revenues that are closely connected to shipping activities.

The associations want the EC to clarify the state aid rules and believe the Commission should ensure that ancillary services, which are also offered by other parties in the maritime logistics supply chain, are excluded from the scope of eligibility for tonnage tax and that the decisions including those provisions are amended accordingly.

Lamia Kerdjoudj-Belkaid, secretary general of FEPORT, noted: “The privilege granted to the shipping companies, allowing them to benefit from preferential tax treatment for their cargo handling activities, distorts competition between integrated terminals and independent ones. We believe that it is the role of the Commission to clarify the rules to avoid risks of distortion of competition and to ensure a level playing field. This is particularly important when exceptions to the general rules on State Aid are benefiting one sector as it is the case for maritime transport.”