Christian De Block with Siim Kallas
Last night, Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas handed out the fifth edition of the ESPO Award on Societal Integration to the Port of Antwerp for its project ‘Heritage: the breadcrumbs trail between city and port’.
This year’s edition of the ESPO Award had ‘heritage’ as theme. The ESPO Award jury was especially impressed by the way the project of the port of Antwerp celebrates the past, provides new civic amenities for the citizens of today, creates a new iconic building as the heritage of tomorrow, and sets out to educate its citizens about the importance of a thriving port for their lives.
In his word of thanks, Port of Antwerp Chief Operations Officer, Christiaan De Block said: “Antwerp Port Authority and the port community are particularly pleased about winning the 2013 ESPO Award. We see it as an appreciation for the sustainable development of our port, and for our efforts towards maximum symbiosis between city and port, an important precondition for creating social support. The ultimate aim is to bring citizens and visitors closer to the Port of Antwerp. Our motto ‘Strong through collaboration’ has once more proved its value.”
As every year, the Award ceremony was held in the Town Hall of Brussels. The event was followed by a walking dinner, which was attended by more than 200 representatives from the European port and transport sector and EU institutions. The event also marked the 20th anniversary of ESPO.
The 15 projects that participated in this year’s competition have been brought together in a booklet which can be downloaded from the ESPO website.
