The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) is holding its Annual Conference in the heart of the Paris on 25 and 26 April.

This year’s conference in the French capital can simply not be missed, for various reasons. We are listing the five most important ones here

1° The theme: “Net-zero, resilient and competitive ports: acting now to deliver tomorrow”. Also in 2024, the new normal will most likely be defined by disruption, geo-economic and geo-political tensions leading to more frequent disruptions to supply chains, greater volatility on the energy markets and a fiercer international competition. Adding to this the need to act and progress on the ambitions and concrete policies that Europe has put in place over the last five years, it is clear there is a lot to discuss. The conference will combine very hands-on “how to implement ” sessions with sessions broadening the lens and addressing how to pave the way towards a sustainable, resilient, smart and more competitive Europe - a journey/task/ in which ports are playing more than ever a critical and strategic role. So, reasons enough for the European port community to gather in Paris, for ports and port stakeholders to put their heads together and share knowledge, and for policymakers to enter into dialogue with the sector.

2° The speakers and experts: we have already a good line up of top and offthe beaten track speakers and experts for these two days, and more are yet to come. Check our conference website regularly to see which port experts, academics and policy makers we have lined up for you.

3° Paris, évidemment! Did you ever discuss the future of ports in the heart of one of a the most beautiful cities in the world? Ever experienced “April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom, holiday tables under the trees' - as eloquently sung by Ella Fitzgerald. And what do you think of spending two days in Paris, when the city is finalising its preparations for the Olympics and getting the opportunity to sail on the Seine along the route which will be used during the opening of the Olympics? The ESPO Conference is taking place in a state-of-the-art conference venue in the city’s beautiful second arondissement, located next to the Opéra and Bourse. For the conference dinner, our hosts have chosen a place you will not easily forget: the “musée des arts forains”. You cannot really imagine what to expect there? Perfect, be surprised.

4° The annual highlight of the European port industry: 2024 marks the 20th edition of ESPO Conferences. Over time, the ESPO Conferences have developed into a real annual highlight of the European Sea Port industry. Are you a port manager and you want to meet, discuss and exchange with your colleagues? Are you a policy maker in charge of port and port-related issues? Are you a port stakeholder or user, looking for new opportunities? Book now your seat and be part of this unique event.

5° The host: our host this year is Union des Ports de France. UPF is the trade association of French commercial and fishing ports, as well as fishing auctions, in mainland and overseas France. Who better to host this Olympic edition than all the French seaports? Join us and take part in everything our host has planned for us.

The programme and all practical information are available on the conference website including to book and any practical questions or need support with your registrations, do not hesitate to contact: [email protected]

#ClimateChange - The European port industry gathered in Barcelona for ESPO’s annual conference entitled “Ports in a changing Climate, a Changing World”.

During the first of the two day conference (1 June), Alvaro Rodriguez, high level Climate Reality representative, inspired the audience with an eye opening presentation on the impacts of climate change and a positive message showing that solutions, the new zero-carbon technologies, are within reach.

In his opening speech that was followed by contributions they shared  best practices from the different stakeholders. These debates highlighted that ports are technology takers and require new technology to be available to make their contribution to decarbonisation.

The end of Day One marked the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ecoports network, which clearly showed that ports’ pro-active engagement towards sustainability is well established and withstanding the test of time.

On Friday, the key note speeches of OECD/ITF’s port expert Olaf Merk and Professor Jonathan Holslag gave more than enough food for thought for a lively debate with different port executives on the current geo-political and world trade challenges and the strategic role of ports. During this debate, ports clearly highlighted that it is at all times important to maintain control over the strategic aspects of a port (in particular ownership of the land). Ports, however, do not wish to see any legislative intervention to limit investments in their ports.

European Commissioner for transport, Violeta Bulc, set the scene of the final conference roundtable by highlighting the Commission’s priorities for the maritime year: competitiveness, digitalisation and decarbonisation. She launched the European Ports Forum as a place to advise the Commission and to define and start joint initiatives. This was followed by a debate between Commissioner Bulc and MEP Knut Fleckenstein and different port executives on EU policy for ports, the need for investments in ports, on the role of a port authority and on the on-going mergers between European ports.

“This conference clearly showed that ports are willing and able to significantly contribute to decarbonisation as and when new technologies make this possible. We very much appreciated the presence of the Commission at the highest level. It shows the openness of the European institutions to listen to the voice of the ports. We welcome the establishment of the European Ports Forum. We hope that ESPO, representing all European port authorities in their diversity, will be strongly represented in this forum.” says ESPO’s Chairman Eamonn O’Reilly.

“I would like to thank the Port of Barcelona, all speakers and the participants for making this year’s conference so successful. This conference has shown that ESPO and its members are ready and open to discuss in public the most challenging issues including climate change, deglobalisation and China’s connectivity policy. This gives us already a lot of appetite for preparing next year’s edition”, says ESPO’s secretary general Isabelle Ryckbost.

The speakers’ presentations are available at: http://www.espo.be/espo-conference-presentations and the conference pictures will be soon available at www.espo.be

The ESPO Conference 2018 will take place on 31 May and 1 June and will be hosted by the Port of Rotterdam.