The two largest European ports, Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges, have welcomed the Clean Industrial Deal, through which the European Commission intends to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry.
The two mega container ports in the Netherlands and Belgium support the strategy for bundling economic strength and a sustainable transition, emphasising that it’s time to concretise the announced measures.
The CEOs of both port authorities regularly hear from the companies in the ports, and their international headquarters, that they are reconsidering their presence and investments in Europe.
“There is no single, straightforward solution; it involves multiple actions. If we want to preserve our industry and prosperity for future generations, words have to be turned into deeds now,” jointly stated Port of Rotterdam CEO Boudewijn Siemons and Port of Antwerp-Bruges CEO Jacques Vandermeiren.
In presenting the package of measures, the European Commission is also calling (on national governments) to take steps in the area of energy prices, infrastructure coordination and European Union (EU) regulation. These aspects are some of the biggest challenges for companies in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr area, one of Europe’s most important industrial regions and the fourth largest chemical cluster in the world.
Three items in the package are particularly important for the ports:
- Relieving pressure on energy costs
- The crucial role of hydrogen
- Infrastructure as the backbone of the transition
