Brussels, 10 November 2020
On the 10th of November, ESPO organized a webinar to launch its 2020 environmental report. This report is based on data provided by 100 ports active in the EcoPorts network, which are based in 18 different EU Member States.
The report gives an overview of the top 10 priorities of European Port authorities. Topics such as energy efficiency, climate change and air quality showed to be some of European ports’ most important ambitions.
The report also outlined ports’ actions regarding environmental management. For example, it was highlighted that positive developments had taken place concerning port authorities’ communication of their environmental policies. Moreover, OPS is increasingly present in European ports, although at a lower voltage as compared to 2019, while LNG is provided in one third of the European ports with 22% of the participating ports being involved in LNG infrastructure projects.
Ports are increasingly active in the field of climate change mitigation, an effort that makes sense as around 50% of European ports face climate related challenges such as floods, storms, etc...
The presentation of the Environmental report was followed by a panel consisting involving Eamonn O’Reilly (Chair ESPO), Daniel Mes (Member of the cabinet of Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans) and Rosa Mari Darbra (Associate Professor Polytechnical University of Catalonia).
Daniel Mes added that the three top priorities of ports listed in the environmental report (energy efficiency, climate change and air quality) correspond to local communities’ expectations from ports. Ports, in his opinion, play a key role in some of the European Commission’s Green Deal priorities, for example, when it comes to hydrogen and offshore. For the European Commission, ports are a natural starting point in any effort to increase the deployment of alternative fuels, due to their role as key infrastructure providers. Ports, Daniel Mes explained, will have an important role in the Strategy for Sustainable and Smart Mobility, which should be released on the 9th of December.