The International Maritime Union in Greece welcomes the new EU Ports Strategy promoted by the European Commission, which aims to strengthen the competitiveness, safety, resilience and sustainability of European ports.
This initiative takes on particular importance at a time when European ports are called upon to respond to multiple challenges, such as the ever-increasing international competitiveness, geopolitical tensions, the demands of the energy transition and the need to strengthen the security of critical infrastructure.
According to European Commission data, European ports are the foundation of the Union’s economy, handling approximately 74% of the EU’s external trade, more than 3.4 billion tonnes of cargo per year and almost 395 million passengers, while supporting over 423,000 direct jobs.
The new strategy recognises that ports are now evolving into multifunctional logistics, energy and industrial hubs, which must simultaneously invest in:
- Digitalisation and modernisation of port operations.
- Decarbonisation and new generation energy infrastructure.
- Enhancing the security and resilience of port facilities.
- Improving the interconnection of ports with European supply chains.
Source: Naftemporiki