Božena Bulum, Ph.D., Scientific Adviser with Tenure at Adriatic Institute delivered a guest lecture entitled “Liberalization of Port Services and Maritime cabotage Services Provision in the Republic of Croatia – Applicable Croatian and EU Law” at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale. It was an opportunity to discuss with French colleagues Prof. Thomas Leclerc, Prof. Nicolas Boillet, Prof. Adelie Pomade and students of the Master Droit des espaces et des activités maritimes the legal challenges France and Croatia face in aligning their port service and maritime cabotage regulatory framework with EU standards in order to balance public interest with market freedoms.
For the Republic of Croatia, country with over 6,000 kilometers of coastline and the second-largest archipelago in the Mediterranean–comprising 1,244 natural formations, including 78 islands, the provision of port services and the operation of coastal liner maritime transport are activities of great importance. With 52 permanently inhabited islands and the Pelješac peninsula (every 30th inhabitant of Croatia lives on an island), Croatia relies on liner coastal maritime transport as an essential public service to ensure connectivity and support island communities.
The issues of the territorial continuity, the principle of freedom to provide services, public service obligations, public service contracts, horizontal approach in granting service provision rights, SNCM test, round-the-clock/round-the-year service provision, the technical-nautical character of certain port services, self-provision of services, etc. were analysed.
