Jean-Pierre Chalus, President of the Union of French Ports, will host the 20th annual conference of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO).

This event, held under the patronage of the Minister for Transport, Patrice Vergriete, and due to take place in Paris on 25 and 26 April 2024, has not been held in France since 2008. It will provide an opportunity for port authorities to discuss the profound changes they are experiencing as a result of the green transition. 270 people are expected to attend, including port representatives, officials and MEPs. 

The Union des Ports de France brings together all commercial ports in mainland France and the overseas territories. It acts as the point of contact for public authorities and is a key social partner, sharing responsibility with UNIM for the unified national collective agreement for ports and cargo handling.

Jean-Pierre Chalus is a member of the ESPO Executive Committee, alongside Stéphane Raison (HAROPA) and Benoît Rochet (SEPD Calais-Boulogne).

ESPO’s Annual General Meeting will be held in Paris on 24 April 2024, the day before the conference. Its governing bodies are supplemented by technical committees focusing in particular on the environment, energy, governance, logistics and intermodality.

Despite differences between the various European ports, ESPO’s objective is to adopt a common approach to the significant challenges and shared issues they face.

Among these, the environmental transition is a key issue. The Paris conference will address the ZAR, resilience and competitiveness, and land use.

The President added that, with regard to decarbonisation, France has “an integrated approach for its major (river and maritime) ports, balancing economic and environmental considerations with fairly robust compensation measures in the event of environmental impact” – a vision that does not apply across the whole of Europe.

The European Union has set 2030 as the key deadline, but French ports are actually somewhat ahead of schedule – such as Haropa, Marseille and Sète – thanks to strong support from central government and local authorities. Questions remain as to who will fund the investment and the operational phase. 

Jean-Pierre Chalus concluded by noting that the UPF’s General Assembly will be held in early July 2024 in Strasbourg. This will provide an opportunity to discuss the ambitions set out by its Director of the Autonomous River Port, Claire Merlin, and the challenges of intermodality. The aim is to present the UPF’s priorities for 2024–2029 to the European Union.

Source: Le Marin 17 April 2024 / Photo: ©UPF