The European Commission has approved a new plan which should create a border-free maritime transport area.

Brussels will propose new laws that should simplify Customs procedures while a directive. The Commission will also be issuing guidelines on accelerating plant and animal checks.

The plan includes a number of proposals to be submitted by the Commission in the next few years which should create a border-free maritime transport area.

This, the Commission says, would curb the demand for road haulage and reduce freight forwarding costs while preserving expertise and promoting jobs in lines of work necessary for the operation of maritime transport.

Malta, whose shipping register is the second largest in the EU, has a strong clout in Europe's maritime industry and will be looking closely at the plan.

Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani pointed to several measures which should be put in place by member states.

He said the various port inspection bodies that monitor compliance with Customs, tax and health regulations often act without coordination, generating costs and delays which could easily be reduced. He called on member states to review and simplify their practices in these areas.

The European shipping industry provides transport services between Europe and the rest of the world and between third countries in all regions of the globe.

In Europe, short-sea shipping is an essential part of the transport chain, carrying 40 per cent of intra-European freight in ton-kilometres.