In a newly-published position paper, the Port of Rotterdam has urged the European Commission and Parliament to focus on ‘a vigorous stimulus of green energy and a circular economy’.
Boudewijn Siemons, the CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, also urged the European Union authorities to ‘put implementation of the energy transition centre stage and use European ports intelligently to secure strategic autonomy’.
Siemons made the case for placing ports at the heart of European policy-making, saying that: ‘Geopolitical tensions and increased pressure on industry demand a strong stance from the European Union. The port of Rotterdam has a large industrial complex and is a major hub for containers, energy and raw materials. Here, as in many other European ports, there is a confluence of major challenges, such as making international transport more sustainable, reliable supply chains for businesses and consumers and accelerating the sustainability of industry without losing competitiveness. Consequently, ports can and want to play an important role in future-proofing Europe. It is no accident that in Rotterdam we say: when the port is doing well, the European economy is doing well.’
The Port Authority said that many industrial companies in Rotterdam are ‘keen to invest in making their production more sustainable, but have not yet made a final investment decision’ – and so ‘for them, it is crucial that the European investment climate offers sufficient securities and prospects for the future’.
In order to maintain the momentum on the energy transition, the Rotterdam Port Authority called on the EU to ‘work on an approach based on acceleration areas in industrial clusters such as ports’ and TO contribute funding to the ‘build-up of renewable energy chains’.