Debate: Building a comprehensive European port strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 16 JANUARY 2024
Speaker: Adina-Ioana Vălean
Language: EN

We fully share the view that we need to support and improve the competitiveness, resilience and twin green and digital transition of EU ports and of the whole EU transport sector. This will allow the sector to grow in a way that is sustainable, both in social and environmental terms. We highlighted from the very beginning of this mandate, these priorities, in our strategy for smart and sustainable mobility, in which we lay the ground for the future strategic development of the entire transport system, including the ports. The strategy confirms that ports, as transport and logistic hubs, are key for our internal and international connectivity, for military purposes, for our economy, for reducing the CO2 emissions and pollution from transport. In line with the requirements in the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation, ports will provide clean fuels and electricity to ships. They will also contribute to the energy transition by becoming sustainable energy hubs – for example for offshore wind, for the production and import of hydrogen, for carbon capture and storage. This is why, at the request of the European Parliament, the Commission launched a pilot project – the Port Electricity Commercial Model – to be finalised in the first half of this year. The project has already identified several clean energy business models that reduce emissions from port operations, including onshore power supply. These models, which could be replicated across the EU, are primarily reliant on increased electrification. The European economy benefits from the international trade and foreign investments that ports attract, and which help create jobs and growth. European companies are, for example, among the world leaders in maritime transport and logistics. However, we need to ensure that investments from third countries do not lead to strategic dependencies and do not pose risks to European security and public order.  The existing Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regulation already equips EU with a framework and common criteria to identify and assess risks linked to the foreign acquisition or control of strategic assets, including in transport, energy and communication infrastructures. Looking back on the last three years of implementation of FDI screening, the Commission was notified of more than 1 200 such cases by Member State authorities, with some also concerning transactions linked to critical infrastructure. At the same time, it is concerning that not all Member States have a national mechanism in place.  Building on these experiences, the Commission will propose a revision of the FDI Screening Regulation. We look forward to work with the legislators to ensure that the EU rules for FDI screening remain fit for purpose and allow for a better and more consistent identification and mitigation of risks to security or public order for certain foreign investments. The Economic Security Strategy also reiterates the Commission’s call to all Member States which have not yet implemented national FDI screening mechanisms, to do so without further delay. The main objective of the revision will be to ensure that all Member States screen foreign acquisition of EU companies active in sensitive sectors, and improve the functioning of the current screening mechanism between Member States and the Commission.  The revision of the Ten-T Regulation, agreed by the co-legislators in December last year, gives increased importance to maritime transport and ports by creating a European maritime space, the maritime dimension of the Ten-T. Ports’ more prominent role in the energy transition is also reflected in the addition of a number of ports to the Ten-T network.  However, let us also acknowledge that attaining our ambitious objectives of the 24 ports will require significant investment in the coming years. The revision also includes a provision on the control of foreign investment in transport infrastructure, and notably on the construction of transport infrastructure by third country companies.  The political agreement requires Member States to make all possible efforts to ensure that Ten-T infrastructure is protected against those threats. They must assess the potential risks arising from third-country participation or contributions to a project of common interest, and take appropriate countermeasures. Their assessment should in particular focus on the supply for the building, operation and maintenance of infrastructure, as well as access to sensitive information, including personal data.  Assessments must also address third-country capabilities to control such information in conjunction with the building, operation and maintenance of the infrastructure.  Together with other instruments, the examples that I have mentioned today show how we have taken action to strengthen the control of foreign influence on the European economy, including imports, and to bolster our resilience.  The Commission has recognised the need to ensure the resilience of ports to the threat posed also by organised crime and drug trafficking, through October’s EU roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime within the EU Port Alliance. The priorities of the roadmap include closer cooperation between customs authorities, law enforcement, public and private actors in ports, which will increase the resilience of ports against criminal infiltration.  I am pleased to announce that a launch event of the public-private partnership with ports will be held on the 24 January in Antwerp. This will be the occasion to kick off the work of this important initiative, with the aim of building a level playing field against criminal infiltration in ports.  The Commission remains open to considering options for further action if they are balanced, respect international obligations and agreements and can bring clear added value to our existing strategies and tools. However, any such initiatives would be for the next Commission to decide and would require thorough preparation, including stakeholder consultation and possible impact assessment.