European Shippers’ Council took part in the PERMAGOV Stakeholder Workshop “Improving Marine Governance for the EU Ocean Pact”, held in Brussels on 8 September 2026.
Participants from research, policymaking, industry, and civil society joined the workshop. Discussions covered marine energy, biodiversity, transport, and plastics, with a focus on the challenges of marine governance and how cooperation between different sectors can be improved.
ESC is involved in PERMAGOV mainly through the maritime transport part of the project, bringing the views of shippers and industry into the discussions.
Two maritime transport cases are part of the project. The first looks at the decarbonisation of shipping and how different policies and actors can support the transition to cleaner maritime transport. The second focuses on the Motorways of the Sea in the Adriatic and the cooperation needed between countries, ports, and transport stakeholders.
The morning session looked at the EU Ocean Pact and policy developments in European seas. Xavier Guillou from DG MARE presented the Ocean Pact, while Marina Marković from PAP/RAC spoke about policy developments in the Mediterranean.
The transport discussions looked at how well institutions and different levels of governance are working together and whether key actors have the capacity to address current challenges. Lack of trust and commitment, poor coordination, and the costs faced by shippers were among the main issues raised. Participants also pointed to better interoperability and standardisation as ways to improve cooperation.
ESC is also contributing to the development of a conceptual ETS surcharge calculator within PERMAGOV. The aim is to make shipping carbon charges more transparent and help shippers understand how these costs are calculated.
With the project approaching its final months, the workshop also looked at the findings of PERMAGOV and how they can be shared and used to support better marine governance.