Ports are vital gateways for prosperity and an engine for growth, but they can also have significant negative environmental impact.
Partners from Bulgaria, France, Italy and Germany came together in Hamburg on the 26 th and 27 th of September 2019, to kick-off the Interreg Europe project ‘SMOOTH PORTS – reducing CO 2 emissions in ports’ which sets out to change this.
Through the engagement of stakeholders from administration-, port related businesses and logistics businesses along the supply chain, SMOOTH PORTS wants to reduce CO 2 emissions from port-related road traffic. To achieve this, the project wants to improve the
regionally available policy instruments in a holistic manner.
The partners will exchange experiences, effective tools and best practice examples with the focus on topics such as: optimal procedures for the clearance of goods, the utilisation of Information and Communications Technology solutions and the application of alternative
fuels in the port area. The partners will furthermore carry out regional studies and create action plans to foster the implementation of the policy instruments and to contribute to the modernisation and alignment of the policy instruments of the next programming period and
relevant operational programmes.
Various stakeholders joined the project partners on September 27 th for site visits in the Port of Hamburg. The tour took the participants to the locations of the Plant Health Inspection service, the Veterinary and Import Agency, the Principal Customs office and the
Container Terminal Altenwerder. At each of the locations a presentation was held and a first exchange of experience possible. The site visits and presentations were followed by a boat tour through the port. Examples of involved stakeholders: the chamber of commerce,
the association for road transport and logistics, and the business association Port of Hamburg. Each partner will hold regional stakeholder workshops to address various regional aspects of the challenges addressed in the SMOOTH PORTS project.
Interreg Europe supports local and regional governments in developing and delivering better policy by setting the scene for opportunities. Examples for these opportunities are the ‘Policy Learning Platform’ and annual events by the Interreg Europe programme. The desire is to safeguard the investments made by governments and to assure that innovation and application endeavours result in viable and continuous significance for the society and relevant regions. The SMOOTH PORTS project started in August 2019 and will continue until January 2023.
The implementation phase will be until January 2022. The implementation of the action plans will be monitored during the last 12 months of the project’s lifetime. More information can be found at: www.interregeurope.eu/smoothports.
Source: ONtheMosWay