The Development of Short Sea Shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Towards a Rational E.U. Freight Transport Policy

The rise in worldwide goods transport is an important factor in the increase of national GDP’s, but at the same time it poses serious threats in terms of the quality of life, mainly regarding the population in developed countries, who are however the main beneficiaries of the resulting economic growth. The E.U. has long now taken steps towards the protection of the environment and more generally in the direction of ameliorating the negative side effects stemming from the transport system. Policies to further promote short sea shipping may be viewed as an important element on the road to the development of East Mediterranean nations and the outlook for the coming decades, is that Short Sea Shipping may become the prevailing mode for freight transport in the region. An aid to this trend is the observed rapid development of Southeastern European nations and the subsequent appearance of new economic hubs.