Interview with Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Seaports Organisation (ESPO)
More than 1,200 commercial ports stretch along 100,000 kilometres of coast on European territory. They represent key points for modal shift and the operation of a total percentage of 90% of the international trade in Europe and 40% of the intercommunity trade. Commercial ports represent a cohesion solution for developing passenger transport services and ferry cargo services. European ports are a direct and indirect source for half a million jobs, at the same time, ensuring the dynamism and development of regions, even peripheral regions, in conformity with the Treaty of Lisbon. The activities developed by the European Union aim at the sustainable development of all European ports by promoting industry efficiency, the reduction of the negative impact on the environment and, of course, the integration of ports within the entire chain of transports. The European Union’s norms ensure the legislative framework necessary for those activities which aim at helping the people involved in the field to join their efforts so that European ports could overcome potential hindrances, attract new investments and fully contribute to the development of co-modal transport. The Commission’s approach is based on a tight cooperation from all interested parties, public or private, to implement adequate solutions to these challenges and to ensure a fluent development of the ports in the EU.
The competition between and within ports is every day more fierce for different reasons and emphasizes the factors which disrupt trade flows between EU Member States. According to the European Commission these factors are the liberalisation of the domestic market, technology exchanges (information technology implementation, standardisation of loading units), the development of the Trans-European Network, which ensures a broader offer concerning modal shift for users and operators. The Commission believes that it is necessary to establish a community framework to ensure the principle of free and fair competition. The Green Paper on port infrastructures, elaborated in 1997, stipulates that ports have not been in the centre of European community policy on transports until recently. Nevertheless, they have a role to play within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), by increasing the efficiency of the European transport system, by encouraging the development of the intercommunity trade and trade with third parties. They can also eliminate bottlenecks along the main terrestrial corridors and actively reinforce maritime connections with island and peripheral regions. Last but not least, seaports can consolidate the multimodal aspect of TEN-T. Intermodal transport is an essential component of a common policy on sustainable mobility. That is why the importance of ports is conclusive through the fact that they are key connection points for the shipment of goods and passengers between land and maritime means of transport, the Green Paper on Ports stipulates. Improving efficiency in ports will contribute to the integration of transport modes within a single system, on the sole condition that there is an interoperability and interconnectivity between transport systems.
Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Seaports Organisation (ESPO), has provided information on the challenges that ports face in their attempt to be integrated in the Trans-European Transport Network, as well as several solutions. The target of the Organisation consists in rendering the public strategy within the European Union aware of the importance given to safety, efficiency and stability in the sector of European ports, a sector which activates as a key element of the transport industry, where the conditions of free and unaltered market prevail to the possible extent. One of ESPO’s targets is the acknowledgment of the economic significance of European ports by the European Union and the Member States.
Railway Pro: You have proposed and supported the clear designation of certain ports to be included in the TEN-T network. Could you tell us which ports should be included in the TEN-T network and which could, therefore, receive financial support to develop their capacity?
Patrick Verhoeven: We have proposed in our contribution to the TEN-T review a methodology to identify a core network of ports. Essential criteria include accessibility, economies of scale and other market-based factors, but also sustainability. These now need to be made more concrete so that we can indeed come to a well-balanced core network of ports or port clusters that give access to the logistics heartland of Europe. Financial support should not be the exclusive objective however.
By identifying priorities we should also indicate what the bottlenecks are and these can have a varied nature, including of course infrastructure bottlenecks, but also administrative and service-related problems.
Railway Pro: In your opinion, how important is the appropriate development of seaports (such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam) and even inland ports so that they could, in turn, contribute to the economic development of the respective country?
Patrick Verhoeven: Seaports are essential nodal points in logistic chains and should first and foremost be seen from this broader perspective. Of course they are also of great importance for local economies in terms of employment and added value. This is however not always known by local communities around ports who tend to focus on the negative externalities that ports generate, for instance in environmental terms. This is why port authorities must also invest in their public image. We encourage this in ESPO, amongst other things through an annual Award on Societal Integration of Ports which we have given out for the first time last year.
Railway Pro: How important is the development of railway infrastructure in ports?
Patrick Verhoeven: Rail transport is one of the key transport modes for many ports, especially for the longer distance, and the development of appropriate infrastructure is therefore of capital importance. But also service levels are essential and it is here that a lot still needs to be done in Europe. Despite the European Commission’s railway liberalization policy, the service is in many countries still highly inefficient. Both bureaucratic and technical barriers need to be lifted urgently.
Railway Pro: What can you tell us about the development of railway routes exclusively for cargo transport and directly connected to ports? How important is this to the development of rail-maritime intermodal transport?
Patrick Verhoeven: We are in favour of the European Commission’s proposal to develop a freight-oriented rail network in Europe. This will greatly enhance the use of rail transport to and from ports.
Railway Pro: Based on the information you have, can you characterize the port of Constanţa (Romania) and its importance on the TEN-T network?
Patrick Verhoeven: The port of Constanţa plays an important role in connecting the EU heartland with its Eastern neighbours and it forms as such part of the Black Sea multi-port gateway which also includes the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Bourgas. Constanţa has furthermore the advantage of its connection to the Danube estuary which also makes it an important sea-river port.
Railway Pro: Can you give us details about the importance of ports within a broader hinterland?
Patrick Verhoeven: Ports have partly a captive hinterland but there is also an important part of their hinterland which needs to be fought for, i.e. where there is strong competition with other ports or other port regions. This competition is becoming more and more intense also in geographical terms. Hence the need for neighbouring ports in certain regions to try and foster co-operation so as to be able to face this competition.
Interview recorded by Elena Ilie
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