The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has welcomed a report of the European Parliament’s Budget Committee, which was voted on 23 April.
The report, titled On a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world, by co-rapporteurs Siegfried Mureşan (EPP) and Carla Tavares (S&D).
In their joint report, it stressed the need for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to allocate significantly greater funding to energy and transport, in line with the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This requires the decarbonisation of the economy through the deployment of clean technologies and the enhancement of energy and transport infrastructure.
The budget MEPs are also asking for support for military mobility in the future EU budget to enhance infrastructure for dual use—both military and civilian— to strengthen the Union’s defense capabilities.
The Budget Committee finally underlines the importance of ensuring that the MFF is adequately resourced and sustainably financed and recognises that budgetary needs post-2027 will be significantly higher than the amounts allocated in the 2021–2027 MFF.
Commenting on the vote, ESPO’s Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost said, “Europe’s ports are important partners in enhancing energy, economic, and geopolitical resilience. This comes with huge investments, which are often high risk and without direct or important return on the investment, even if these investments are key in meeting Europe’s ambitions. It is good to see that the budget experts in the European Parliament are understanding the importance of both transport and energy investments and funding in the current geo-economic and geopolitical context.”
She added, “We hope that this strong signal from the Parliament is being heard. Transport is the backbone of the internal market and an essential condition for enhancing Europe’s preparedness and resilience.”
Earlier this year, ESPO, together with more than 50 other transport organisations, sent an open letter to both the Member States and the European Commission, underlining that a strong transport sector is a prerequisite for building a competitive, net-zero, and resilient Europe.
If Europe is to achieve these objectives, it needs a stronger EU transport budget under the future MFF.
