Planning EG 3 (4 seminars)

The first two meetings of the working group will focus on identifying and comparing current cost accounting and allocation practices in different ports in the EU. The issue of how current port pricing strategies relate to actual costs of different user (ship) categories will be addressed. All cost categories will be subject of discussion, but special attention will be paid to infrastructure costs in ports. In the third and fourth meeting of the working group the major barriers for implementing social marginal cost based pricing reforms in maritime transport will be identified, and critical success factors to break these barriers will be pinpointed, based on implemented (best) practices, like the Swedish fairway charging system and given the international character of maritime transport.

• EG3-1 “Overview and state-of-the-art”

• Review of current port pricing strategies and financing of infrastructures;
• State of the Art in terms of methodologies for valuing actual costs (per user category). What does social marginal costs mean in the maritime sector, which are important categories?
• Possible pricing strategies, externalities to focus;
• Identification of possible improvements for charging scheme.
  

• EG3-2 “Costs measurement and accounting practices”

• Current practices in EU ports with respect to infrastructure cost calculation, accounting and cost allocation?
• Which externalities should be charged and who will receive the revenues?
• Latest developments in research on identification and measurement of the main cost categories?
• Need for European guidelines on costs calculation or monitoring of expenditures;

 

• EG3-3 “Impacts”

• What are the possible impacts for the sector (on traffic, on costs and revenues, on the broader economy, on equity, etc.)?
• What are the socio-economic impacts?

• EG3-4 “Implementation issues (enabling factors and barriers)”

• Which externalities should be charged and who will receive the revenues?
• Choice of technology;
• What are the barriers for implementing social marginal cost based pricing reforms: institutional, legal and acceptability?
• How to overcome these barriers, given international character of maritime transport?
• Review of previous seminars and agreement on overall conclusions.
  

Meetings/Seminars