The EU Commissioner for transport, Violeta Bulc, visited the Port of Los Angeles as part of a longer mission to the US and Costa Rica on Thursday 27 September.
The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) was invited to support the visit and contribute to the roundtable discussion with Violeta Bulc, Gene Seroka (CEO of the Port of Los Angeles), Santiago Garcia Mila, (Deputy Director General, Port of Barcelona), Jens Meier (President of the Port of Hamburg), Victor Schoenmakers (Director Corporate Strategy, Port of Rotterdam). ESPO was represented by its Chairman, Eamonn O ‘Reilly, and its Secretary General, Isabelle Ryckbost.
The roundtable allowed for a direct exchange between EU ports and the Commission with the number one American container port on the different issues at stake on both sides of the Atlantic.
It revealed that the EU and the US have very identical issues and hence very similar political priorities: digitalisation, decarbonisation and air emission reduction and investments. In this respect, it also revealed that both EU and US ports are facing great investment challenges with many port investments which have a high societal value but not a direct return for the investor.
The presentation of the Port of Los Angeles’s Clean Air Action Programme and its good results were a real eye-opener for the participants.
The roundtable was followed by a visit to the Port.