The impact of EU environmental law on ports and waterways. Including a proposal for the creation of

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Over het boekPort and waterway authorities and private investors encounter tremendous difficulties in complying with EU environmental law. Frequent disruptions of new projects jeopardise the achievement of transport policy objectives which in order to cope with growing demand and to support a modal shift presuppose the provision of additional waterway and port capacity.The prevailing malaise is caused primarily by the scarcity of both natural habitats and potential waterway and port development areas which in many cases overlap geographically and by the undeniable ambiguity of the EU Birds, Habitats and Water Framework Directives.In this study, which was carried out within the framework of the European Commission39;39;s Maritime Transport Coordination Platform MTCP, Professor Eric Van Hooydonk analyses the current legal framework and the issues raised in eighteen leading cases. The study contains elaborate policy recommendations for a better integration of transport and environmental policies. These includeto address environmental issues in future waterway and port policies; to provide waterway and port-specific guidance on the Birds, Habitats and Water Framework Directives;to link TEN-T status of waterway and port plans and projects on the one hand with environmental assessments on the other;to attach a legal status to the forthcoming EU Network of Inland Waterwaysto establish Portus 2010, a Coherent EU Network of Strategic Port Development Areas.Over de auteursProf Dr Eric Van Hooydonk is a Professer of Law at the University ofAntwerp and specialises in seaports law. He chairs the European Institute of Maritime and Transport Law and runs a law office in Antwerp.