Ec Competition Law and Maritime Transport

Maritime transport is vital to the economic life of the European Community (EC). Some 95% of the tonnage of EC trade with non-EC states and some 30% of intra-Community traffic is carried by sea. Council Regulation No. 4056/86 on maritime transport contains both procedural and substantive provisions. It includes a block exemption for liner conferences and for their agreements with transport users. The regulation provides for a fairly liberal set of rules, increases legal security, and clarifies the relationship between linear conferences and transport users. It is designed to support the competitive participation of the Community merchant fleets in international shipping. In cases where the application of EC competition rules may conflict with non-EC country laws to compromise important Community trading and shipping interests, the European Commission can use article 9 of Council Regulation 4056/86, which provides the necessary procedure to consult and to negotiate with the other country concerned.