Press Release: European Commission clarifies rules for maritime public service links to small islands

The European Commission modified its policy on maritime public service links to and between small islands. European rules apply to the selection of public service operators to and between small islands. The Commission clarified on 12 May 2006 that public authorities can choose a simplified procedure in order to select the service provider. Such simplified procedure can apply if the maritime service involves less than 300 000 passengers per year. The previous threshold for applying the simplified procedure was 100 000 passengers.