You will find below the presentations given at the ESPO Conference 2023, which took place in Bremen. Click on the name of the speaker to see his/her presentation. 

DAY 1 - 1 June

Moderator of the morning: Isabelle RYCKBOST, Secretary General, ESPO

09:15 OPENING SESSION

Welcome

Zeno D'AGOSTINO, Chair, ESPO

Robert HOWE, CEO Bremenports

09:45 OPENING ADDRESS
Dr Claudia SCHILLING, Senator

10:00 MACRO-ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR PORTS
Tim POWER, Managing Director, Drewry

10:30 ENERGY OUTLOOK
Giovanni SGARAVATTI, Research Analyst, Bruegel

11:30 KEEPING THE COURSE IN THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Moderator: Eamonn O’REILLY, Former Chair of ESPO
Massimo DEANDREIS, General Manager, S.R.M. Economic Research Center related to Intesa Sanpaolo Group: A new era for ports, viewpoint from the South
Dan IKENSON, Director of Policy Research, ndp (US): The geopolitisation of trade

Followed by a panel discussion with
Zeno D’AGOSTINO, Chair, ESPO
Jens MEIER, CEO Port of Hamburg
Boudewijn SIEMONS, COO Port of Rotterdam
Margi VAN GOGH, Head of Supply Chain and Transport, World Economic Forum

14:00 FINANCING THE INVESTMENTS NEEDED: OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING POSSIBILITIES IN CEF II AND INNOVATION FUND
Marija JANEVA, CEF Project Management Coordinator – maritime sector, CINEA

14:30 THE POP UP ESPO PORT ACADEMY
In the afternoon of the first day, the Conference will seek to build intelligence and exchange practices by bringing panellists and audience together in hands-on discussions on three important questions. The aim is to learn from each other.

First question: How to plan the future? How to make a long-term strategy in a rapidly changing world?
Moderator: Victor SCHOENMAKERS, Former Chair of ESPO

(online) Setting the Scene by Dr. Theo NOTTEBOOM, Chair Professor at the Maritime Institute of Ghent University, part-time Professor at Antwerp Maritime Academy and University of Antwerp

Followed by an interactive panel of ports with
Ekaitz LOPEZ AMURRIO, CFO Bilbao Port Authority
Pieter VANDERMEEREN, Green Port Masterplanner Port of Antwerp-Bruges
Ansis ZELTIŅŠ, CEO Port of Riga

15:45 Second question: Who will fuel the future? Which skills are needed in the port of the future?

Fire side chat between
Livia SPERA, Secretary General, European Transport Workers’ Federation
Ulrike RIEDEL, Labor Relations Director, BLG LOGISTICS GROUP 

16:10 Third question: How to prepare for the net-zero economy? What is the role of ports in fuelling the future economy?
Moderator: Valter SELÉN, Senior Policy Advisor, ESPO
PERS ceremony by Valter

Peter ALKEMA, strategic policy advisor and project manager, Port of Amsterdam: IAPH tool on port readiness of clean marine fuels
Paula Cristina SENGO, Head of studies and planning Port of Lisbon Authority: Role of ports in greening the economy and society
Floor HOOIJMAN, Consultant and Director, Rebel Group: Feasibility and financeability of green hydrogen value chains
Minas PAPADAKIS, CEO Port of Heraklion: Port strategy on greening
Dr Torsten PORWOL, Managing Director, CO2 Management AS: Carbon capture and storage as solution for hard-to-decarbonise sectors
Monica RAMALHO, Department Safety, Security and Surveillance, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA): Safety aspects of new fuels

DAY 2 - 2 June

Moderator of the day: Rob HEIRBAUT, EU correspondent, VRT

09:00 IS GREENING LEADING TO COOPERATION?

In this session, we will discuss different levels of cooperation to speed up the greening process.
Claes FREDRIKSSON, Founder and CEO, Liquid Wind: Cooperation across the marine value chain
Marc ITGEN, Manager, Cuxhaven Economic Development Agency: Cooperation between offshore wind ports 
Malte SIEGERT, Chairman, Federal NABU section Hamburg: Cooperation with NGOs
Cédric VIRCIGLIO, Strategic Planning Director, HAROPA Port

10:00 THE EYE OPENER: ARE THE ENERGY ISLANDS THE NEW “ISLANDS IN THE SUN”?
Lars Nordahl LEMVIGH, CEO Port of Roenne (replaced by Maja Bendtsen, Chief Business Officer Bulk, Port of Roenne)
Gunnar TRYGVASSON, CEO Icelandic Ports 

10:30 KEYNOTE: EUROPE IN THE GEOPOLITICAL TURMOIL 
Karel LANNOO, CEO, Centre for European Policy Studies

11:25 THE ROLE OF PORTS IN EUROPE’S INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY
Herald RUIJTERS (online), Deputy Director General DG MOVE, European Commission

11:50 THE BIG POLICY DEBATE
Rasmus ANDRESEN, MEP
Tom BERENDSEN, MEP
Vera TAX, MEP
Prof. Kurt BODEWIG, European Coordinator, TEN-T Motorways of the Sea
Gerardo LANDALUCE, Chairman Port Authority of Algeciras
Daan SCHALCK, CEO North Sea Port

12:50 CLOSING OF THE ESPO CONFERENCE 2023
Zeno D’AGOSTINO, Chair, ESPO

13:00 ANNOUNCEMENT ESPO CONFERENCE 2024
Jean-Pierre CHALUS, President, Union des Ports de France