A British MEP has called for greater transparency in the way European ports receive state funding.
Geoffrey Van Orden, speaking to Haven Gatweway shipping industry representatives in Suffolk, said Continental ports were mostly supported by state subsidies, unlike their largely privatised British neighbours.
He said: “We want a level playing field and there is no doubt that some of the European ports in direct competition with our ports have an unfair advantage.”
Mr Van Orden, MEP for the east of England, voted against the recent Port Services Directive, which he described as “red tape masquerading in the guise of liberalisation”.
