For Europe, maritime transport has been a catalyst for economic development and prosperity throughout its history. Maritime transport facilitates trade and contacts between all European nations. It ensures security of energy, food and goods supply and provides a major tool for European imports and exports to the rest of the world. Almost 90% of the EU's foreign trade in goods is transported by sea. The European Commission aims to protect Europe with very strict safety rules by preventing substandard ships, reducing the risk of serious maritime accidents and minimizing the environmental impact of maritime transport, ensuring access to the maritime transport market and promoting administrative burdens through digitization, anti-piracy and terrorism conditions, health and safety issues and the regulation of seafarers ’professional qualifications. The Commission is also working to protect citizens as users of maritime transport services, ensuring safe and secure conditions, taking care of their rights as passengers and examining the quality of public service connections proposed by the Member States. Croatia joined the European Union on 1 July 2013. Accession to the European Union for Croatia represents a potential turning point in the economic, social and general social development of the country. Croatia, in order to revitalize and evaluate the sea and the coast, should initiate and establish a comprehensive system of integrated coastal zone management while ensuring satisfactory economic effects and with the protection and conservation of maritime resources and the entire coastal zone. Sustainable growth and competitiveness of the maritime economy as a strategic goal will be achieved by successfully achieving specific goals in the segments of the basic components of the maritime economy, which include shipping and other maritime transport services, port infrastructure and port services, and human resources.