JPP Legislative candidate, Élvio Sousa, has promised that if he is elected, he will move forward with a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry which will inspect port activity and maritime transport of goods between the mainland and Madeira.
Talking to journalists Élvio Sousa stated:
“There are several problems which directly affect the cost of living in the Region and one of them, perhaps the most harmful, is the high cost of maritime transport of goods between the mainland and Madeira. It is urgent to move forward quickly with a strategy of investigation and permanent surveillance on the role of the Governments of the Republic, the Autonomous Regions, regulators and agents in maritime transport.”
The deputy in the regional Legislative Assembly and candidate for the Assembly of the Republic, said that the high cost of transporting goods by sea “puts regional economic activity at risk and increases the price of products for Madeirans.” Several entrepreneurs, economic agents and political leaders have confirmed this situation, namely the President of ACIF, referring to the existence of a ‘concerted oligopoly or monopolistic competition’.”
Élvio Sousa also recalled that the administrator of the Ports of the Azores recently confirmed, by way of comparison, that the value of freight in Madeira “is around €0.82/km, being 18% more expensive, per kilometre, than in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which is around €0.69/km. And, naturally, the collection of more information, through an Inquiry Commission will unequivocally guarantee impartial and objective data.”
“On the other hand,” he said “it is also obvious that the current maritime cabotage law protects shipowners more than consumers, creating barriers to the entry of new operators and the free provision of more efficient services for the Autonomous Regions. The law must protect the interests of island economies, and not the interests of maritime carriers!”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
