Dear institutional stakeholders, dear members, dear colleagues and friends,
FEPORT will hold its Ninth Annual Stakeholders’ Conference on 3 December 2026 at Residence Palace in Brussels, and we hope you will like the programme that we have prepared for you.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the EU transport sector must evolve to help overcome funding shortfalls affecting the trans-European transport network. As highlighted by the European Commission’s EU Ports Strategy, modern ports are important nodes in the transport system. They are no longer simply docking points; they have evolved into complex, multimodal and multifunctional industrial hubs. They must simultaneously expand cargo capacity, digitalise supply chains, address growing cybersecurity and organised-crime threats, and act as key hubs for the clean energy transition.
Delivering the green and digital transformation of Europe’s transport infrastructure will require massive investment. The European Commission has estimated that the related infrastructure investment gap amounts to an additional €100 billion per year. Public budgets and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) grants cannot meet these needs alone. Private capital is therefore not a luxury; it is an operational necessity.
While Public-Private Partnerships offer a proven way to unlock this funding, their deployment can be hindered by several obstacles. Fragmented national legislation, lengthy environmental permitting procedures and competition rules that do not reflect evolving risk allocations are among the significant barriers to attracting private capital.
The conference aims to address these friction points. It will provide a forum to explore how the EU can structurally de-risk and modernise investment frameworks and unleash the full potential of PPPs in the transport and logistics sector.
How can the European Union unleash the potential of PPPs in transport and logistics?
Below is a non-exhaustive list of the topics that will be discussed by our speakers and panellists:
- Expanding Financing Instruments: How can alternative and flexible financing structures make investments in military mobility, sustainable fuels and port infrastructure more attractive and bankable?
- Transparent Governance & Regulation: How can clear frameworks improve risk-sharing between public authorities and private operators? How can permitting rules be modernised to meet current investment needs?
- Multimodal Interoperability: How can a level playing field be ensured for different transport modes—including rail, inland waterways and road—within the EU Ports Strategy and the wider trans-European transport network?
- The “Port Fence” Disconnect: How can a seamless ship-to-rail interface become a reality? How can the upgrading of rail yards outside the port fence be accelerated? What type of partnership is needed between private terminal operators, public port authorities and national rail infrastructure managers to improve rail connectivity to and from ports?
- The Capacity Dilemma: With the revised TEN-T framework requiring infrastructure to progressively accommodate 740-metre freight trains, how can public-private contracts be structured to prevent private port efficiency from being undermined by rigid public rail-capacity allocations?
- Data Silos: Advanced Port Community Systems (PCS) can track cargo flows efficiently, but how can they communicate more effectively with and between other modes of transport? What types of partnerships are needed to improve data-sharing?
- The Mismatch Problem: Private infrastructure funds require rapid deployment, predictable returns and commercial flexibility, while CEF grants entail strict public-procurement requirements and multi-year timelines. How can this structural mismatch be addressed to keep private capital engaged in European transport?
The programme will be structured around four sessions:
SESSION 1: THE REGULATORY UNLOCK PANEL
SESSION 2: THE PHYSICAL INTERFACE PANEL
SESSION 3: THE DIGITAL SECURITY COOPERATION PANEL
SESSION 4: THE DE-RISKING CHALLENGE PANEL
Further details regarding the programme and our guest speakers will be announced shortly.
We look forward to welcoming you to Brussels.
The FEPORT Team
