Eighth Annual Stakeholders’ Conference

 Brussels, April 9th, 2025

Ports Ahead: Navigating the future EU Maritime Industrial Strategy

Dear colleagues, guests, and friends,

The EU’s maritime cluster plays a critical role in global competition on digital dominance and decarbonization. While the EU is not as prominent as the U.S. in digital technologies or as aggressive as China in renewable energy production, it is crucial that future EU support measures scale up in driving sustainability and innovation in the maritime sector.

The EU maritime cluster encompasses shipbuilding, shipping, ports, marine technology, and blue economy sectors. The EU is home to some of the world's leading shipping companies, innovative shipbuilders, and advanced port superstructures operated by competitive world class players.

However, Asian shipyards, particularly in South Korea and China, dominate commercial shipbuilding, making it hard for EU yards to compete on cost. High costs of alternative fuels and retrofitting vessels also pose barriers to rapid decarbonization. Some lessons are to be learnt, and strong measures to support the competitiveness of the entire maritime sector must become a priority.

The way in which European policymakers look at the value of the maritime ecosystem must evolve as all industries that are part of the cluster play a decisive role and are totally interdependent.

During the eighth FEPORT Stakeholders Conference, we will, among others, discuss the competitiveness of the maritime and port sectors, trade policies that are required to give access to markets in the EU and outside the EU for all players; and how reciprocity can rebalance our relationship with our competitors.

We are looking forward to having an interesting conversation with our high-profile speakers and guests on how the EU can be more offensive and assertive towards its competitors.

You can already register by following this link and you will receive a confirmation.

Please do proceed with the registration at your earliest convenience as the number of seats is limited.

The conference will start at 9:00 am and conclude at 16:30 pm. It will include opening addresses followed by two moderated sessions and exchanges with the audience. Stay tuned for the program.

We look forward to welcoming you on April 9th, 2025.

The FEPORT team