The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) will present its position paper on the revision of the port reception facilities (PRF) in Venice this October.
The directive was unveiled at a meeting under the umbrella of the European Sustainable Shipping Forum (ESSF) on 25 May.
The European port authorities support the objectives of the PRF directive and welcome the revision process as an opportunity for further improvement of some of its provisions and their application, but should not lead to a major review, said Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO secretary general.
ESPOs main messages were that the spirit and objectives of the directive are still valid but better definitions, clarifications and guidance are needed.
It argued that the discussions over the adequacy of existing PRF needs to be concrete and evidence based, and that properly consulted and clearly communicated waste reception and handling plans are key.
ESPO is keen to continue contributing towards this direction both through the work of the dedicated ESSF subgroup, the EC Impact Assessment and through the legislative process to follow, added Antonis Michail, senior advisor at ESPO and vice-chair of the ESSF working group on the PRF.
The position paper states that imposing one single fee system over Europe is not an option but it supports the clarification of principles guiding the implementation of the fee system.
It added that ESPO supports the inclusion of new types of waste in the scope of the directive but not necessarily in all of its provision.
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