Competitive policies for commercial sea ports in the EU

The globalisation of the economy and the need for sustainable growth are having a strong influence on international sea freight transport and its infrastructures. Commercial sea ports, faced with the loss in 'loyalty' of their traffic and the appearance of 'new rules in the game', are developing new strategies in order to achieve the loyalty of their clients. The present paper is a reflection on the findings generated in recent years in the area of competitive port policies. The main focus is on the formulation of commercial and technological strategies, the new legislative framework and its consequences for the European Union in the context of the future 'Common Ports Policy'. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.