Sea highways: promising prospects in the Mediterranean

The objective of this IPEMED paper is to take the study of the project for trans-Mediterranean sea highways, and use it to highlight maritime transport issues in the Mediterranean, and clarify how developing this mode of transport can serve Euro-Mediterranean integration. The first step is to list the problems raised by implementing this new type of North-South liaison from an economic, regulation and technical point of view. Both economic forecasts, which motivate Euro-Mediterranean transport policies, and a diagnosis of the Mediterranean transport system, indicate that the challenge is considerable. Anticipated effects extend beyond this sector: the liaisons are expected to play a catalyst role in the Euro-Mediterranean area’s logistic and economic integration.