New European Industrial Maritime Strategy: A historic breakthrough and the beginning of a new chapter
Today, the European Commission published its long-awaited European Industrial Maritime Strategy, aimed at “reinforcing Europe’s maritime manufacturing capabilities and technological leadership”. This landmark initiative responds directly to the calls made by the European maritime manufacturing industry via the Shipyards’ & Maritime Equipment Association of Europe (SEA Europe) Manifesto of April 2024 and further detailed in 22 concrete recommendations.
Shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers are strategic industrial assets. They underpin Europe’s maritime and naval security, strengthen its industrial resilience, and drive its maritime and blue economy. Yet despite this critical importance, the industry has been largely overlooked in EU industrial policy for decades. Meanwhile, global competitors have heavily supported and subsidised their shipbuilding industries as strategic instruments.
To maintain their position in a globalised market, European maritime manufacturers must be able to benefit from appropriate European policies. The situation had first been recognised in 2024, when Commission President Ursula von der Leyen entrusted Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas with the task of developing a European Industrial Maritime Strategy “to enhance the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of Europe’s maritime manufacturing sector”. Today, that political commitment has become reality.
SEA Europe and its members welcome this Strategy as an unprecedented achievement: a decisive recognition that maritime manufacturing matters for Europe’s strategic autonomy, economic security, defence, trade, sustainability, innovation, resilience and competitiveness.
This being said, the Strategy is not an end in itself. It is a starting point, and an ambitious one.
In its 2024 Manifesto, SEA Europe set a clear objective: to supply and retrofit 10,000 sustainable and digitalised vessels in Europe by 2035 across our lead markets. These include cruise ships, naval vessels, other complex and high-value vessels, short-sea shipping, inland navigation, and maintenance, repair, conversion and refrofit activities. The new Strategy provides meaningful instruments to accelerate innovation, scale up industrial capacity, and position Europe as the global leader in next-generation shipbuilding and maritime equipment manufacturing.
“We particularly welcome the Strategy’s strong focus on stimulating both supply and demand”, said Christophe Tytgat, SEA Europe’s Secretary General. “Creating incentives for shipowners to choose European shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers, whilst offering access to finance to stimulate investments in modern, efficient, innovative and sustainable ship production processes, within a mutually beneficial European preference framework in high-value and emerging segments, is essential to ensuring that Europe’s industrial capabilities remain competitive and future-proof”, he concluded.
As the industry’s representative, SEA Europe will now focus on ensuring that industry stakeholders are ready to seize the new instruments introduced by the European Commission. We and our members are available to facilitate a pragmatic and business-driven dialogue between shipowners, investors, policymakers, and industrial players within the newly established EU Industrial Maritime Value Chains Alliance and other collaborative platforms created by the Strategy.
The European Union has taken a decisive step. The task ahead is implementation. The European Industrial Maritime Strategy must be transformed into tangible industrial growth, technological leadership, and strategic resilience for Europe’s maritime industrial base and therefore maritime future.