From 2nd to 3rd June, the City of Arts and Sciences will be hosting the 18th edition of the Annual Conference of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)
Empowering Europe’s Ports is the slogan of the event which will deal with questions such as the new energy panorama, the green transition or the evolution of supply chains
The conference will include speeches from the heads of the ports of Valencia, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Algeciras, Dublin or Riga, amongst others
Representatives of the European Commission, the Spanish Government and other Community institutions will also intervene
The conference will be inaugurated by the President of ESPO, Annaleena Mäkilä and the President of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez
València, May 15th, 2022.- València will host the annual conference of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), the institution that represents the port authorities, associations and administrations of the countries of the European Union, on 2 and 3 June 2022. Cap i Casal will become the nerve centre for debating and analysing the present and future of maritime transport, a sector that mobilises 90% of world trade.
Under the slogan Empowering Europe’s Ports, the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia will welcome representatives of the main commercial ports of Europe, maritime companies, and European and Spanish institutions to debate and study the novelties of a sector that operates in a social, commercial and geopolitical environment that is different from that of recent years. A context marked by the world health crisis and the war in Ukraine, at a time when Europe is trying to achieve strategic autonomy, thus safeguarding a stable commercial and economic environment and guaranteeing the security of supply of raw materials and critical goods. And an environment in which ports, following the strategy designed by Europe, are preparing to become emission-neutral and digitally smart.
The head of Strategic Planning and Innovation of the València Port Authority (PAV), Juan Manuel Díez has highlighted that “València is going to become the host of the main port event of the year with the presence of more than 100 delegates from the leading European ports who will talk about sustainability, renewable energies and innovation in the first face-to-face meeting of this event in more than two years”.
ESPO’s annual conference, the first face-to-face event since 2019, will be opened by the organisation’s president and CEO of the Finnish Port Association, Annaleena Mäkilä, and the president of the València Port Authority (PAV), Aurelio Martínez. Representatives from the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, Algeciras, Dublin or Riga, among others, will be taking part in conferences and round tables, as well as speakers from the European Commission, the Spanish Government or from companies and institutions of the logistics community.
How can the ports prepare themselves for the world of tomorrow? What role will they play in the supply chains of the future? How will trade patterns evolve? How will the new energy panorama affect port infrastructures and territorial planning? Is the current energy crisis a catalyst for the green transition or an obstacle? How can the European ports be boosted and how can they dynamise the European economy and society? These are some of the questions that the experts will be analysing over two days in Valencia.
All the details of the conference can be consulted at: