On May 5, 2026, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas presented the Commission’s approach regarding the future Ports Strategy and Industrial Maritime Strategy during a structured dialogue with the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN).
The discussion focused on the growing strategic importance of ports and maritime transport in the current geopolitical context, particularly against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the Middle East and increasing concerns related to Europe’s energy security, resilience and competitiveness.
During the exchange, Commissioner Tzitzikostas stressed that ports are central to Europe’s strategic autonomy, security and industrial resilience. He also underlined that one of the key objectives of the future strategies would be to turn decarbonisation into a driver of competitiveness while supporting Europe’s maritime industrial base.
Several Members of the European Parliament raised concerns related to foreign ownership and control of European ports, military mobility, cybersecurity, electrification and the need to strengthen hinterland connectivity. Discussions also touched upon the importance of accelerating investments in alternative fuels infrastructure, digitalisation and dual-use transport infrastructure.
The Commissioner further announced that the ETS review would be presented in July 2026 and acknowledged the need to address concerns linked to carbon leakage involving neighbouring non-EU ports. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that ETS revenues effectively support the sectors concerned by the transition.
The discussions reflected the increasingly strategic role of ports not only as logistics and trade gateways, but also as energy, industrial and security hubs supporting Europe’s resilience and competitiveness objectives. FEPORT welcomes the growing recognition at EU level of the importance of ports and terminal operators in supporting Europe’s connectivity, decarbonisation and strategic autonomy ambitions.
