Ms Isolde Goggin:

Yes. Mr. Aylward made a point about the northern and southern European ports. There are numerous competition cases relating to ports. They tend to be in the area of abuse of dominance. They tend to have shown that where there is a single port and a single port operator, not only are there higher charges, but it is the area of inefficiency where the real damage gets done. There is no incentive to put goods through quickly or to invest and accept more and more traffic. There is a good deal of evidence showing where monopolies have operated against the public interest and against the interests of importers and exporters in particular, and that a lack of competition has resulted. It is not only about price, it has much to do with service quality, the services offered to importers and exporters, the frequencies of sailing, the turnaround times and the length of time goods are left on the docks before they are brought in and out. The whole area of efficiency is crucial.