On 29 October 2025, representatives from FEPORT, ESPO, EDC, ETF and IDC gathered at the Borschette Centre in Brussels and online for a new meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue for Ports.
The agenda covered several key topics, including the EU Port Strategy, the Pact for Skills, the implementation of ETS and FuelEU Maritime, as well as the EU Port Alliance.
DG MOVE provided an extensive update on the public consultation feedback and confirmed that social aspects (e.g. employment, working conditions, and social dialogue), as well as safety on board ships, will form part of the upcoming Strategy.
The social partners requested more detailed information from DG Employment on port-related projects and regretted the absence of DG CLIMA representatives. They also noted that no update was provided regarding the revision of the list of ports (expected by the end of 2025), the legal framework revision of the EU ETS (scheduled for 2026), and the future of ETS Maritime following the postponement of the IMO agreement on the Net-Zero Framework.
DG MOVE nevertheless provided a clear update on the implementation of FuelEU Maritime and an overview of the ongoing work on the Military Mobility Package.
Finally, DG HOME informed participants about the progress made within the EU Port Alliance and the next steps ahead.
Social partners reiterated that the ETS for Maritime remains a major concern and announced their intention to approach the European Commission soon on this matter.
