The European Commission is due to present its ‘European Ports Strategy’ on Wednesday 18 February (see EUROPE 13672/16). According to the Commission’s communication, which Agence Europe was able to obtain, this strategy will be based on four pillars: competitiveness, sustainability, safety and investment.
For each of these pillars, the Commission has listed a number of measures that it will be taking, but also measures that it is inviting EU Member States and stakeholders to adopt. It also listed measures for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Maritime Space (EMS) Coordinator.
Global competitiveness, innovation and digitalisation. In line with the priority of this mandate, the communication devotes Pillar I to these issues. The Commission announces that in 2026 it will revise the Merger Guidelines to take account of the horizontal and non-horizontal effects of mergers, and the General Block Exemption Regulation to take account of the new challenges.
In addition, from this year, it will apply clear guidelines to prioritise mutually beneficial projects in third country ports and help EU companies to obtain fair investment conditions and market access in port infrastructure and operations abroad through the European External Action Service (EEAS) and EU delegations. It undertakes to draw up additional guidelines for Member States in the port sector, with criteria for assessing foreign investment under the various horizontal instruments in force.
Research will focus on priority areas. The Commission hopes to capitalise on public-private collaboration within the maritime sector.
It also strengthens the rules on access to service facilities and rail services. It will also propose an action programme on inland waterway transport policy for the period 2028-2034, following on from the ‘NAIADES III’ programme.
In 2027, it will update the grid for analysing State aid to ports, clarify the priorities and conditions for investment support and modernise the framework for concessions. By 2028, the Commission will draw up guidelines on best practice for land leases in ports. Finally, without giving a deadline, it will draw up guidelines for Member States in the port sector, including criteria for assessing foreign investment and a framework for mapping foreign investment.
By 2028, it wants to establish EU guidelines for efficient data sharing in the transport chain.
Energy and environmental sustainability. The Commission will continue to monitor the deployment of shore-side power and will promote greater transparency in OPS prices. It also wants to strengthen the role of port areas as clean, energy-efficient industrial hubs.
To make European ports safer, the Commission plans to update the existing maritime safety guidelines by the end of 2026. It will work on the development of a European framework for background checks on port workers and address corruption risks as part of the EU’s anti-corruption strategy.
Finally, to promote access to finance and investment, the Commission will apply the priorities and criteria set out in the strategy to all funding instruments and propose priority actions in line with the common criteria mentioned above and appropriate partnerships to support innovation in ports.
Read the document: https://aeur.eu/f/kkf (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)