The resolution was adopted at an EP plenary in Strasbourg with 585 votes in favour, 21 votes against and 26 abstentions.
Considering that maritime transport by far exceeds any other mode of transport in the EU, with 75% of trade to and from the EU being conducted via maritime routes, the EP wants the first summit on European ports to be called as soon as possible.
European ports generate a billion tonnes of commodities every year, employing thousands of people and serving as vital links in the European and international supply chains.
The summit would be a key step towards securing the competitiveness of European ports, as well as a stable investment climate in the maritime sector. The resolution stresses that it is necessary to increase funding for European ports.
Flego, a member of the European Parliament from Istria who sits on the EP Committee on Transport and Tourism, said that Croatia has more than 50 small marinas and ferry ports of crucial importance for the local communities and people.
We also have our trade giant Rijeka, whose needs are different from those of small ports and marinas. The 'one size fits all' policy is not applicable to this sector, he said.
"Rijeka needs funding and railway routes to generate as much cargo as possible and to be an equal rival to other northern Adriatic ports. On the other hand, smaller ports and marinas need new berths for smaller boats, bigger investments in traditional fishing and the reconstruction of local roads leading to marinas. All of that is almost disregarded in the European budget. That is why we need a new European port strategy to detect the needs of our ports and protect small ports," he said.
"After a decade-long European struggle for the Port of Rijeka and its being part of as many as three European corridors, I think Croatia is an ideal country for the first European summit on ports. We have sent a request to the European Commission to convene such a summit, and if Croatia gets to host it, we will send a strong message to European leaders."
"Firstly, that Rijeka is becoming a geostrategic hub for the transport of cargo to neighbouring countries and secondly, that we will raise the issue of mapping small ports as a priority. Ports mean life for many countries in the Mediterranean... without them there are no schools, hospitals, pharmacies. But before the new European budget is shaped, it is necessary to prove the specificities of our ports, from Savudrija to Dubrovnik, to help appropriately define the new European strategy. 4% of funding from the Connecting Europe Facility for European ports will leave smaller Croatian ports on the margin," Flego said.