On April 22nd, FEPORT attended the SEARica Intergroup event on the EU Maritime Industrial and Port Strategies. The event was hosted by MEP Baljeu (Netherlands, Renew Europe) and organised in collaboration with the Renew Europe Group, the Waterborne Technology Platform and CPMR – the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).
The event consisted of two panels that were both moderated by Waterborne Secretary General Mr. Jaap Gebraad. The panels included interventions from stakeholders from various segments of the waterborne sector such as shipbuilding, inland navigation, shipowners as well as maritime equipment manufacturers. The Commission perspective was provided by Ms. Fotini Ioannidou, Director Waterborne at DG MOVE.
Some panellists pointed to the need to move beyond R&D by also focussing on the deployment and upscaling of proven technologies while others called for accelerated permitting and timely grid connections in order to ensure a timely deployment of onshore power supply. Ms. Fotini Ioannidou, used her address to call attention to ETS Maritime and underscored the need to take measures aimed at protecting EU ports in the framework of the upcoming ETS review.
