The European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) has welcomed the development of a European Port Strategy and urged policymakers to fully integrate the role of inland ports as “key enablers of green logistics, climate adaptation, and strategic mobility”, according to EFIP's release.
Representing 200 inland ports across 19 EU Member States and beyond, EFIP emphasises their contribution to the European Green Deal, Clean Industrial Deal, and Trans‑European Transport Network (TEN‑T).
It set out five core recommendations:
-First, streamlining permitting by accelerating and harmonising authorization processes to enable timely infrastructure investments.
-Second, reducing administrative burdens by implementing proportionate reporting requirements—especially for publicly owned, modestly sized inland ports—in line with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and related regulations.
-Third, improving funding access via a dedicated Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) envelope for small and medium‑sized projects, with greater transparency in selection.
-Fourth, enhancing climate resilience by guiding ports in adapting to increasing risks such as droughts and flooding.
-Fifth, strengthening military mobility and security through early consultation on dual‑use infrastructure and stronger cybersecurity and physical‑security guidelines.
In February 2025, EFIP joined over 45 organisations in urging Member States to maintain and strengthen dedicated EU transport budget lines—highlighting inland ports’ importance in carbon reduction, multimodal logistics, supply‑chain security, and military mobility. On 1 July, the European Commission launched stakeholder dialogues on the upcoming EU Ports Strategy and EU Industrial Maritime Strategy, aiming to enhance energy transition, security, competitiveness, and resilience in ports—including inland ones.
European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) is a European industry association that represents nearly 200 inland ports and port authorities across 18 EU Member States, plus Switzerland, Serbia, and Ukraine. It promotes inland ports as intermodal network nodes—connecting inland waterways with rail, road, and maritime transport. EFIP engages with EU institutions through policy positions, studies, and consultations, advocating on funding, regulation, digitalisation, climate adaptation, and defence logistics.