Waterborne transport is of crucial importance within the European Union. Alomost 90% of the EU external freight trade and 40% of the intra EU-exchanges are carried by sea. With respect to its significant coastline, the environmental aspects of shipping transport services have to be considered carefully within the EU. Each year, the European ports have to cope with more than 400 million passengers. Thus, the shipping sector is also an important employer.

The Brussels Commentary on EU Shipping Law provides a comprehensive article-by-article analysis of the relevant regulations and directives of the shipping sector. It covers the following issues:

• Access
• Regulatory
• Environment
• Health and Safety
• Consumer protection
• Carriage of goods and passengers
• Means of transport
• Competition
• State aid
• Infrastructure
• Labour
• Litigation