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European Commission Approves Maritime State Aid to Five Countries
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The European Commission has actually accepted state help for 5 nations to urge ship enrollment as well as advertiseEurope’s maritime competition.
The 5 nations– Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Poland, as well as Sweden– were each provided 5 seperate steps, or “schemes”, targeted at adding to the worldwide competition of the field.
Specifically, the systems problem: the intro of a tonnage tax obligation as well as seafarer plan in Estonia; the prolongation of a tonnage tax obligation as well as seafarer plan in Cyprus; the intro of a brand-new seafarer plan in Poland; the prolongation as well as expansion of a seafarer plan in Denmark; as well as the prolongation of a seafarer plan in Sweden.
“As regards the tonnage tax schemes in Estonia and Cyprus, the Commission found that the schemes comply with the rules limiting tonnage taxation to eligible activities and vessels,” the EC stated in a declaration. “Furthermore, as regards taxation of dividends of shareholders, the Commission found that both the Estonian and the Cypriot tonnage tax schemes ensure that shareholders in shipping companies are treated in the same way as shareholders in any other sector.”
“As regards the seafarer schemes in Estonia, Cyprus, Poland, Denmark and Sweden, the Commission found that all five Member States have agreed to apply the benefits of their respective scheme to all vessels flying the flag of any EU or EEA Member State,” the EC included.
The steps were examined as well as accepted under the EC’s 2004 Guidelines on State help to maritime transportation, as they were identified “to contribute to the competitiveness of the EU maritime transport sector and encourage ship registration in Europe, while at the same time preserving Europe’s high social, environmental and safety standards and ensuring a level playing field,” the EC stated.