10 October 2016
On 5 October, ESPO organised a special workshop dedicated to small ports: “What if you are a non-TEN-T port? What if you are a small port in the comprehensive network?” In the morning session, small ports of the TEN-T comprehensive network and outside the TEN-T network discussed with EU officials and experts about legal obligations and rights under European legislation. Participants shared the view that almost all European legislation equally applies to small and big ports. However, small ports face more challenges in complying with European legal obligations because of the limited resources available in terms of structure, organisation, funding, personnel, etc. For this reason, more assistance and funding opportunities were pleaded by participants in order to face these challenges. Small ports were also invited to participate to horizontal cooperation platforms, such as Ecoports, in order to benefit from knowledge sharing of best practices.
In the afternoon, representatives from European institutions and agencies presented funding opportunities for small ports. The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) focuses on big ports whereas the Interreg programme and the European Maritime Fishery Fund offers interesting opportunities to small ports. The port of Oostende, the British Ports Association, and the Danish Ports association shared their experience on using the funding opportunities offered to small ports.
Please find below all the presentations from the meeting.
EU Legal rights and obligations of small ports
- Remi Mayet (European Commission - DG MOVE B3) – Port regulation, State aid, Concessions
- Christiane Dupont (European Commission - DG MOVE A4) – Small ports and security requirements
- Antonis Michail (ESPO): Environmental legislation and cooperation opportunities
Funding opportunities for small ports
Interreg
- Alexander Ferstl - DG REGIO: What is Interreg? How ports can benefit from it?
- Wim Stubbe – Port of Oostende: Examples of ports’ projects and potential future cooperations
- Pieter Louwers – Interreg 2 Seas: Financial opportunities offered by 2 Seas
- Carsten Westerholt - North Sea Region: Financial opportunities offered by “North Sea Region”
- Vanessa De Bruyn – DG NEAR: Financial opportunities offered by ENPI MED
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
- Dominique-Philippe Levieil - DG MARE: What is the EMFF? How ports can benefit from it?
- Bjarne Løf Henriksen – Danish ports: the Danish example
- Richard Ballantyne (BPA): the British example
Horizon2020, LIFE, CEF, EFSI
Eugenio Quintieri – ESPO: Other funding opportunities for small ports
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