The common maritime transport policy of the European Union - the protection and preservation of the marine environment

The Paper reviews the impact of the Common Maritime Transport Policy of the European Union on the development of the European Union Environmental Policy. An inter-relationship between the economic needs of the Member States and the overall attempt of the European Community to protect and preserve the marine environment is examined. The European Union makes continuous signifi - cant contributions to the worldwide efforts in protecting the environment, especially in the maritime fi eld, through a strict adherence to the internationally set standards, as well as the enforcement of the Community measures that often go beyond the minimal criteria set by the international and multilateral treaties. Such additional criteria might bring the European shipowners and the connected maritime industry into an unfavorable competitiveness position on the world market. Additionally, a detailed overview of the international, regional and Community legislation in the marine environmental fi eld is provided, with a special focus on the measures aimed at preventing oil pollution. Finally, a general assessment of the Community’s efforts is given, bearing in mind the current legislation and its impact, and the short-term and long-term goals of the European Union Environmental Policy.