A breakthrough maritime transport area for shipping

This month, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Blue Belt, which is a single transport area for shipping throughout the EU. This is because free movement of goods is not yet a reality for the maritime sector.
Currently, if a ship leaves member states’ territorial waters they are considered to have navigated through the EU’s external borders. Thus, ships traveling between ports in two different member states are deemed to have left the EU Customs Territory, which means that customs procedures are required. These procedures are costly and time-consuming. While continental businesses can resort to road and rail transportation, Maltese businesses suffer from double insularity.
Source: Times Of Malta