Portimao port to be improved by the European Commission
The European Commission has released a list of European ports it considered essential and that are in need of improvement, one of these port being the Portimao port.
The EC wishes to improve port operations all throughout Europe and has a list of 319 big spot in Europe which are in need of improvement, 13 of which being in Portugal, and Portimao being amongst them.
This network of 319 ports has been deemed by the EC to be essential to the proper function of the internal market and Europe’s overall economy, so it is considered crucial to further optimize European transport via modern logistics operations.
This review from the European Commission is very welcomed because the European ports network manages 96% of good and 93% of the passengers which transit through EU ports, so it is important for them to work as close to optimal as possible.
Changes in jurisdiction and closer guidance by the EC will help port authorities to modernize both their services and infrastructure.
The EC offered a series of proposals as to how to improve the port such as implementing more transparent and open procedures for the selection of port service providers and rules to prevent the fixing of abusive prices by said providers.
According to the EC report, Europe’s ports are the major gateways to the continent with 74% of extra-EUO goods being shipped through ports. But they are also important for intra-European trade as well because 37% of intra-EU freight traffic and around 385 million passengers pass through ports every year.
By the year 2030 a 50% increase is projected in the cargo handled by EU ports. This growth is a massive opportunity to stimulate economic growth and create more jobs, the Commission estimating that by 20130 anywhere between 110,000 and 165,000 new jobs can be created thanks to this growth. However this can only happen if the ports themselves will adapt in order to handle the increased traffic.
The European Commission is making port the EU’s priority in terms of transport, it does not plan to impose unnecessary red tape, it just wants the ports to grow.
