The objectives and main activities of the TEN_ECOPORT project were presented on the sidelines of the Traditional Annual Conference of European Sea Ports, which for the first time in its 10-year history was held in a Black Sea region country.
Following ESPO’s long-standing tradition, the conference will dedicate significant attention to the development of EU policies in maritime transport and related economic activities.
This year’s leading theme of the forum was “Port Development – Through Cooperation to Synergy.” The conference program paid special attention to the development of TEN-T corridors and motorways of the sea, and to overcoming the negative consequences of the economic crisis through partnership and cooperation mechanisms.
The State Enterprise “Port Infrastructure” together with the National Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences presented the main highlights and objectives of the international project TEN_ECOPORT – “Transnational Extension of the ECOPORT8 Network,” implemented jointly with 14 other partners and funded by the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme 2007-2013. The project aims to create a sustainable partnership model between ports, local authorities, and all stakeholders regarding the implementation of modern environmental protection models. TEN_ECOPORT is a continuation of the successfully completed ECOPORT8 project, which established the first port network for developing, strengthening, and exchanging coordinated initiatives in implementing environmental criteria in port operations management.
The conference was attended by Members of the European Parliament, EC representatives including its Vice-President and Transport Commissioner Mr. Siim Kallas, as well as the newly elected Bulgarian Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Mr. Danail Papazov.
