EU Ports Strategy

Background

This EESC opinion assesses the new EU Ports Strategy, which was presented by the European Commission in March 2026. Adopted together with the Industrial Maritime Strategy, the two strategies focus on ports, shipping and shipbuilding, and aim to boost competitiveness, sustainability, security and resilience within the EU’s wider waterborne sector.

Ports are a cornerstone of the EU economy and handle approximately 75% of the EU’s external trade. However, in recent years, their role has significantly expanded and, today, ports are also industrial and multimodal transport hubs, gateways for energy security, and critical assets for industrial competitiveness, military mobility and civil protection.

At the same time, ports face growing pressures stemming from:

• energy transition and digitalisation (clean fuels, smart infrastructure and climate resilience);
• security threats (organised crime, foreign interference and cyber risks);
• investment gaps (modernising infrastructure, upskilling workforces and overcoming space/urban constraints).

To address the most pressing challenges, the strategy proposes a wide range of measures based on five priorities:

1) Strengthen competitiveness, innovation and digitalisation;

2) Advance energy transition, sustainability and clean industries;

3) Protect and secure ports;

4) Access to finance and investments;

5) Social cohesion, skills and quality jobs.

Key points

The EESC:

• considers that a successful EU Ports Strategy will depend on integrated governance, long-term investment planning, coordination across multiple policy domains and a strong social foundation that guarantees decent work, fair competition and active social dialogue while taking passengers’ rights into consideration;
• calls for careful assessment of the impact of regulatory measures on the competitiveness of EU ports, avoiding distortions vis à vis non-EU ports;
• considers that ports are major workplaces, central to Europe’s economy and trade, and their contribution is essential in the welfare of societies and timely distribution of goods, energy and services;
• recommends decisive financing support and clarification of its conditions; calls for fair allocation of EU climate and energy funding, including ETS revenues, to support decarbonisation and skills, while preventing disproportionate cost burdens, for more targeted support for SMEs in the sector, smaller ports and non-liner shipping operators, and to explicitly include the fisheries sector in upcoming investment instruments, notably the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan;
• highlights the need for scrutiny of port financing and ownership, including vertical integration and strategic acquisitions. It calls for greater transparency in ownership structures and control of port assets;
• calls for stronger implementation and interoperability of the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe);
• considers that:
  • the competitiveness of EU ports should be strengthened through digitalisation and artificial intelligence;
  • clean energy supply must be assured; 
  • security policies should address working conditions and job security;
  • maritime connectivity for islands and peripheral regions is fundamental for territorial cohesion, economic resilience and affordability, and should be reflected across EU ports and transport policy.

Additional information

Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

Opinion number: TEN/882

Opinion type: Optional

Referral: COM(2026) 112 final

Rapporteur: Joan Roget Alemany (Group I - Spain)

Co-rapporteur: Baiba Miltoviča (Group III - Latvia)

Date of adoption by section: 24 June 2026

Result of the vote: 84 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: 15-16 July 2026

Result of the vote: 218 in favour, 0 against, 3 abstentions

Contact

Marco Pezzani

Press Officer

Tel.: +32 2 546 9793 | Mob: +32 470 881 903

E-mail: marco.pezzani@eesc.europa.eu

Maja Radman

Administrator

Tel.: +32 2 546 9051

E-mail: maja.radman@eesc.europa.eu