Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Commissioner and his officials. I wish to focus on maritime policy. As Ireland is an island nation, 90% of its goods are exported through a handful of ports and it is critically important for commerce in Ireland to maintain an effective maritime sector. The Commissioner might outline to the joint committee how the European Union is supporting and might continue to support the maritime industry with regard to the Motorways of the Sea project and the Marco Polo initiative, whereby funding could be maintained to encourage goods to be transported by sea, thereby encouraging lower fuel emissions. The proposal is to divert goods from the highways and railroads of the European Union. While diverting such traffic from roads and rail would be of major benefit at a European level, it also would be perceived as being critically important in an Irish context.

My second point pertains to roadworthiness standards. It is not such a long time since Ireland introduced vehicle testing. In the European context, can the Commissioner outline to members a flavour of the challenges facing the Commission and his directorate in achieving a European standard throughout the 27 member states?