Dear institutional stakeholders, dear members, dear colleagues and guests,
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 we have prepared for you.
We are glad to invite you to join us and are proud to announce that a great line-up of speakers (stay tuned on our LinkedIn page!) will make our conference a valuable occasion for debate and exchange.
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?
Four sessions will allow us to cover many themes:
Session 1: The Regulatory Unlock Panel – 10:15
An effective Regulatory Unlock Panel focused on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) within the European Union (EU) port sector needs to tackle a unique operational paradox: while the EU demands massive, rapid investments from the private sector to achieve Green Deal compliance (shore power/OPS, alternative fuel bunkering, hydrogen hubs), support military mobility, fight against drugs and prevent cyber risks, its strict regulatory frameworks (State aid rules, environmental rules and competition law) can often create friction, slowing down contract closures and holding back private capital.
Keynote address: Mr Thierry Vanelslander, Professor at the University of Antwerp, specialist in PPPs in ports
Keynote address: Mr Joachim Soergel, Director of Maritime Transport Economics, Moffatt & Nichol (presentation of the FEPORT study on private investment in EU ports)
Moderator: Ms Lamia Kerdjoudj, Secretary General, FEPORT
10:45
Mr Torsten Klimke, Head of Unit, Ports, Security and Inland Navigation, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)
MEP Sergio Gonçalves, European Parliament Rapporteur for the EU Ports Strategy
Mr Antonio Barbara, Chief Executive Officer, HHLA PLT Italy
Mr Eric Paroche, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Mr Felix Bloch, Head of Unit, Environmental Rule of Law and Governance, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV)
Session 2: The Physical Interface Panel – 11:45
In a European context, the “Physical Interface” refers to critical friction points where a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) can easily break down. These include hinterland connections (where a private terminal operator’s rail tracks plug into a publicly managed national rail network), last-mile bottlenecks (roads, canals), and the physical integration of the Green Deal (grid connections for cold ironing/shore power, hydrogen pipelines, and automated vehicle gates) and military mobility (the dual-use dimension).
In the coming years, rail will be instrumental to the growth and efficiency of the TEN-T network and an important mode for military mobility. What is the future of PPPs in the rail sector?
Keynote address: Ms Gesine Meissner, TEN-T Coordinator for the European Maritime Space
Moderator: Mr Johannes Berg, Director of Corporate Affairs, HHLA
12:00
Mr Antoine Kedzierski, Deputy Head of Unit, Transport Networks and Military Mobility, European Commission (DG MOVE).
Ms Kaisa Kuukasjärvi, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications
Mr Erik Van Ockenburg, CEO, Lineas
Mr Giacomo Potenza, High-Speed Rail and Cross-Border Task Force, European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)
Mr Gytis Mažeika, Transport Attaché, Permanent Representation of Lithuania
Mr Martin Horinek, COO, Metrans (tbc)
Session 3: The Digital Security Panel – 13:45
This panel is at the intersection of digital security and narcotics trafficking in the port sector. Organised crime networks no longer just bribe dockworkers; they hire hackers to breach Port Community Systems (PCS), extract container release PIN codes (known as PIN code fraud), manipulate Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), and track contraband using digital twins.
Cyber resilience is therefore crucial for port operations and for the fight against drug trafficking. Partnerships between law enforcement agencies and national authorities can be effective only if the private sector is involved in developing the solutions to be implemented. How can we strengthen the European Ports Alliance while enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity?
Keynote address: Mr Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director-General, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME)
Moderator: Mr Indra Vonck, Partner, BDO Belgium
14:15
Mr Geert Vandervelden, First Inspector, Belgian Federal Police; former expert at the National Drugs Commissioner’s Office (CNDC)
Ms Catherine Piana, Director General, Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS)
Ms Sabrina De Filippis, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, FS Logistix
Mr Jeroen Engelberts, Customs Administration of the Netherlands and Maritime Unit Leader, European Union Customs Alliance for Borders (EUCAB)
Mr Marijn Van Schoote, Director General, Ferm Zeehavens
Ms Livia Spera, Secretary General, European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF)
Session 4: The De-Risking Challenge Panel – 15:45
Historically, de-risking a port or transport PPP meant managing predictable, long-term macroeconomic metrics like inflation and tariff structures. Today, the EU’s ambitious Green Deal timelines (Fit for 55, FuelEU Maritime, and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence), combined with geopolitical volatility and energy uncertainty, have introduced entirely new risk profiles.
Private investors are hesitant to back concession agreements if they have to bear the full risk of volatile alternative energy prices, sudden European climate policy updates or uncertainty deriving from competition law that does not match new policy objectives, or asymmetric competition from non-EU ports.
Moderator: Mr Christian Blauert, Senior Vice President and Global Director of Port and Terminal Development, Moffatt & Nichol
Exchange of views
Mr Yann Burtin, Regional Head for Western Europe, World Bank Group Guarantee Platform and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group
Mr Lorenzo Martelli, Senior Transport Engineer, Air and Waterborne Transport Infrastructure Division, European Investment Bank (EIB)
Mr Peter Stone, Senior Vice President, Strategic Projects, Brookfield Asset Management
Mr Mikael Gutman, Head of Investments Europe, APM Terminals
Mr Jeroen Eijsink, CEO, HHLA
Mr Boris Balev, CEO, BMF Burgas
Mr Dirk Jan Storm, Regional CEO Europe, PSA
Mr Sven Wellbrock, Managing Director, BLG Autotransport GmbH & Co. KG
How can the European Union unleash the potential of PPPs in transport and logistics? As you can see, a lot of topics will be discussed and debated.
Stay tuned for the complete programme with more surprises in the coming days!
Attendance is subject to prior registration and final confirmation by FEPORT.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Kind regards,
The FEPORT Team
