The European Commission adopted on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, two communications that shape the most comprehensive action framework designed by Brussels for the maritime-port sector in more than a decade: the EU Port Strategy —COM(2026) 112 final— and the EU Maritime Industrial Strategy —COM(2026) 111 final—. The first document focuses on ports as critical infrastructures for the economy, energy, security, and European connectivity; the second addresses shipbuilding, maritime transport, defense, and emerging ocean technologies. Both share cross-cutting objectives: to raise European competitiveness in a changing geopolitical context, protect infrastructures against external threats and organized crime, accelerate decarbonization, and ensure the strategic autonomy of the continent against third countries.
The dimension of the sector that these strategies aim to transform is enormous. EU ports channel around 74% of European external trade, manage over 3.4 billion tons of goods, and serve nearly 395 million passengers each year. With nearly three million port calls annually, the EU represents 23% of global port calls. Its economic footprint reached approximately 90 billion euros in revenue in 2022 and around 423,000 direct jobs. The trans-European transport network is articulated over 550 ports —327 maritime (including 44 mixed), 223 inland, 99 island, and 26 situated in ultra-peripheral regions— according to the official infographic published alongside the strategy. The fleet controlled by European shipowners is the largest in the world: over a third of the global shipping tonnage, with shares ranging from 50% in container ships to 25% in general cargo, passing through 38% in passenger ships, 34% in ro-ro, 32% in tankers, and 28% in bulk carriers. 76% of EU imports arrive by sea, with a value close to 1.3 trillion euros.
The strategy updates the EU port policy in force since 2013 and is structured around five pillars: competitiveness, innovation and digitalization; energy transition, sustainability, and clean industries; protection and security; access to financing and investment; and social cohesion, skills and quality employment. The maritime industrial strategy unfolds across six axes: shipbuilding and repairs; transport and connectivity; security and defense; innovation; financing; and professional skills. Both communications were announced as key initiatives in the mandate letter of Commissioner Tzitzikostas and as flagship actions of the EU's Competitiveness Compass and the European Ocean Pact. To ensure their follow-up, the Commission will create a High-Level Board on Maritime Industries and Ports, chaired by the responsible commissioner and the executive vice-presidents.
The drafting process has involved one of the broadest public consultations the Commission has conducted in the area of transport. According to the working document SWD(2026) 81 final, the call for evidence open between June 30 and July 28, 2025 received 193 formal responses plus 16 additional contributions from 21 Member States and five non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom). Business associations represented 32.64% of the responses, public authorities 20.73%, companies 13.99%, NGOs 9.33%, trade unions 4.66%, and academic institutions 3.63%. Belgium accounted for the highest number of responses (25.4%), followed by Germany (10.4%), Spain (10%), France (8%), and the Netherlands (7%). The Commission also organized two high-level strategic dialogues —in July and November 2025—, three meetings of the European Ports Forum, sessions of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Ports, and around 30 bilateral meetings. The consultation confirmed broad support for a non-legislative strategy but at the same time called for predictable State aid frameworks, faster authorization procedures, and concrete solutions to the bottlenecks of the electricity grid, identified as one of the main barriers.
Foreign investment, military mobility, and competition
One of the elements that has attracted the most attention is the treatment of foreign investment and ownership in port infrastructures. Although the communications do not directly mention any specific country, the geopolitical context and the Joint Communication on economic security point to European concerns about the influence of entities backed by States of third countries in critical infrastructures. The Commission will develop guidelines for Member States with criteria aimed at assessing foreign investments in ports, including thresholds on the ability to influence strategic decisions, control of operations, and dependence on high-risk equipment suppliers. It will also launch a framework for monitoring and mapping these investments, in line with the Regulation on the control of foreign direct investments.
In parallel, the proposed Military Mobility Regulation stipulates that Member States must prevent, mitigate and address the risks associated with foreign ownership and control of strategic dual-use port infrastructures. The ports included in that Regulation will be subject to a thorough assessment, and Member States must ensure the possibility of temporarily assuming public control or the right of use of strategic infrastructures under their national legislation. The Commission underscores the importance of the fast adoption of this proposal, which is still undergoing parliamentary procedures.
In terms of market access, the strategy suggests that the EU should consider whether it continues to grant access to the port market when European operators do not receive comparable access in the third country in question. The Commission also addresses the vertical integration that large logistics operators and shipping companies are driving, recognizing that it can bring efficiencies but warning that effective competition must be preserved. To this end, it will review the merger guidelines to update the orientations regarding the horizontal and non-horizontal effects of concentrations.
Port security, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity
The port strategy devotes considerable space to security threats. Ports, the Commission points out, are priority targets for organized crime groups, cyberattacks, and hybrid actions. The Baltic Sea region remains particularly exposed to Russian hybrid warfare activities, and the phenomenon of interference and impersonation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is becoming increasingly frequent in the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean.
The Commission will update existing guidelines on maritime security legislation to adequately cover cyber and hybrid threats, illicit trafficking, and the malicious use of non-military drones, with the assistance of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). A framework for background checks on port workers will be proposed in 2027. Regional cooperation frameworks with third countries for port security will also be developed, selective assessments of high-risk third-country ports will be carried out, and measures will be extended to inland ports not covered by the ISPS Code.
The European Port Alliance, created in January 2024 as a public-private partnership to combat drug trafficking and organized crime, will serve as the basis for new actions. The Commission will publish best prevention practices, explore cooperation with candidate countries, and evaluate the extent to which antitrust instruments can support the Alliance's guidelines. The EU's anti-corruption strategy, expected by the end of 2026, and measures from the ProtectEU internal security strategy will complement this framework.
In terms of cybersecurity, a new forum for exchanging best practices between port and cybersecurity authorities in Member States will be created, a coordinated risk assessment at the EU level will be completed in 2027, ENISA will update its cybersecurity risk management guidelines for ports, and coordinated preparedness exercises and drills will be carried out. The Commission will cooperate with the IMO to promote a harmonized global cyber code.
The strategy also warns that digital port systems, traffic management, and logistics platforms are becoming strategic infrastructure and reminds that whoever controls the data also controls the flows. The Commission will support R&D initiatives to protect data sharing and storage within the framework of secure automation solutions, sovereign cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
Energy transition and decarbonization of ports
Ports handle around 40% of energy-related goods and position themselves as strategic energy and industrial hubs. The upcoming Electrification Action Plan will introduce new support measures for shore power (OPS). According to data from the ESPO collected in its 2025 environmental report, 62% of the surveyed European seaports already offer OPS at one or more berths, but this mainly involves low-voltage OPS; high-voltage for larger vessels remains scarce, and electricity grid capacity constraints persist as one of the main obstacles identified during the public consultation.
To address these limitations, the Commission will promote greater transparency in OPS pricing and better demand forecasting, and will urge Member States to support wireless technologies, smart grid solutions, and digitized procedures. Member States must presume, in their assessments on a case-by-case basis, that electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure —including OPS— is of general public interest, which would simplify authorization procedures. The revised proposal of the TEN-E Regulation and the European Network Package will contribute to accelerate the connection of ports to the grid. The T-MED initiative for Trans-Mediterranean cooperation in Renewable Energies and Clean Technologies will support energy connectivity among Mediterranean ports.
In terms of fuels, the EU advocates a multi-fuel approach —hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and batteries— that ensures flexibility and avoids dependence on a single technology. The upcoming review of the AFIR Regulation will consider measures to accelerate alternative fuels infrastructure for maritime transport. The Renewable and Low Carbon Fuels Alliance will assess needs before the end of 2026. Under the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a study will be commissioned in early 2026 to support the activities of the Global Hydrogen Ports Coalition. Ports can play a vital role in hydrogen valleys, and cross-border hydrogen import terminals are included in the TEN-E network. The Commission urges Member States to support structured cooperation between ports and local industrial clusters, promoting the deployment of renewables, energy sharing, waste heat reuse, and storage solutions. The LIFE Clean Energy Transition subprogram will fund local energy cooperation projects in its spring calls for 2026 and 2027.
The update of the EU Emissions Trading System is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026, followed by the review of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. Both will consider potential implementation issues affecting the competitiveness of European ports, particularly the risk of traffic diversion to non-EU transshipment ports.
In terms of environmental sustainability, the Delegated Act on Climate Taxonomy will be reviewed to simplify and update the Technical Selection Criteria. The proposed Regulation on speeding up environmental assessments will streamline procedures through digitization, reduced timelines, combined assessments, and single windows. Port decarbonization projects of strategic relevance may benefit from deemed approval and procedural prioritization. The RESourceEU Action Plan will support ports in becoming circular economy hubs, such as large-scale recycling of metal scrap, composite materials, and advanced material processing.
Digitalization and connectivity: from 1,200 data elements to the European Maritime Space
The increase in average waiting times at major EU ports during 2024 highlighted how maritime connectivity is increasingly limited by terminal productivity and hinterland links, not just by maritime access. Administrative formalities can represent up to 5% of a vessel's operating costs, according to studies from the Commission itself, and vessels may be required to submit up to 1,200 data elements upon arriving at EU ports, of which two-thirds come from national regulations.
The full implementation of the European Maritime Single Window Environment (EMSWe), applicable from August 2025, and future interconnection with the Customs Data Center will help reduce this burden. The Commission will publish guidelines for efficient data exchange in the transport chain before 2028. The work plan for the European Maritime Space will prioritize developing sustainable short sea shipping centers, collaboration between ports —with particular attention to the smaller ones— and integration with rail and inland waterway transport. The Commission will propose an Action Plan for Inland Waterway Transport for the period 2028-2034.
Shipbuilding: European leadership, declining shares, and new technologies
The Maritime Industrial Strategy outlines the landscape of an industry that leads in high technology but has lost ground in the global market. Europe has 300 shipyards and 28,000 maritime equipment manufacturers. It builds 97% of the world's cruise ships and 67% of icebreakers, and leads in research vessels, offshore wind support vessels, floating platforms, yachts, and clean propulsion systems. However, the share of European shipbuilding in large ferries (over 5,000 GT) has fallen from 60% globally in 2010 to around 15% during the period 2020-2024, with a domestic share of 38% and an average of just three vessels delivered per year. The Commission recognizes that the international market is distorted by massive investments backed by third country States and practices foreign to the market.
To address this situation, the Commission will launch in 2026 a EU Maritime Industrial Value Chains Alliance that will include complex shipbuilding, emerging ocean and underwater technologies —underwater and surface drones, autonomous monitoring systems— and floating wind, tidal and wave energy technologies. The vision for 2030 is articulated around three objectives: consolidate European leadership in high technology, position Europe as a leader in emerging segments, and establish the construction of next-generation vessels with low and zero emissions. The declared goal —taken from the SEA Europe Manifesto— is to support the industry in supplying or modernizing between 7,000 and 10,000 sustainable and digitized vessels by 2035.
The emblematic calls 'Shipyards of the Future' and 'Ports of the Future', under Horizon Europe 2026-2027 with an indicative budget of 21 million euros each, will support the testing and demonstration of innovative technologies in real shipyard and port environments. Together, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe have provided about 218 million euros for port innovation.
The industrial strategy incorporates a strong defense and dual-use dimension. Member States will be able to seize opportunities from the ReArm Europe Plan, which aims to mobilize up to 800 billion euros in defense spending by 2030. Since 2019, 1.1 billion euros have been allocated and committed at the community level for naval capabilities. The Commission will propose a support mechanism for the construction of dual-use ferries, deployable on strategically important routes for the transport of troops, vehicles, and equipment, as well as for emergency evacuation and relief.
In the innovation chapter, the strategy includes wind-assisted propulsion —which has received more than 36 million euros from Horizon Europe in the last five years—, nuclear propulsion for commercial vessels (including small and advanced modular reactors), and autonomous vessels. The IMO's MASS Code, adopted in 2026, will become mandatory in 2032, and the Commission will publish guidelines and best practices for at-sea testing and risk assessment. The so-called 'shadow fleet', composed of aged vessels under unclear jurisdiction and control, which poses environmental risks, is also addressed, and it is announced that over 16,000 vessels will be recycled in the next decade.
Financing: present and future instruments for a sector with million-dollar needs
The funding needs of the sector are high. Studies estimate that decarbonizing the EU vessel fleet requires between 2.4 billion and 8.5 billion euros annually, the digital transformation of European shipyards between 3 billion and 7.5 billion, and the ESPO estimates port investment needs at 80 billion euros. Since 2014, the EU has allocated approximately 10 billion euros to port projects in energy, sustainability, connectivity, and innovation, and over 200 million in R&D.
For the period 2026-2027, the Commission is deploying a battery of instruments. The call from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in 2026 will prioritize the deployment of OPS in ports; since 2014, the CEF has already provided 220 million euros in support to the sector. Through InvestEU, between 1 billion and 1.5 billion euros will be mobilized in the aquatic sector before 2027, including the renewal and modernization of the fleet. The Blue Economy product, backed by InvestEU and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), implemented by the EIB, will provide venture capital to startups and SMEs with the aim of mobilizing about 800 million euros, complemented by the newly created Atlante Marine Fund. The Innovation Fund, financed by the EU ETS, has committed 20 million emission rights (equivalent to 1.5 billion euros at 75 euros per right) until 2030 for the maritime sector and will open a specific maritime call in 2027; it has already supported 13 projects with around 600 million euros since 2020. Horizon Europe has allocated 345 million in 2021-2024 and will allocate another 184.5 million until 2027 (159.5 million for the ZEWT Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport partnership). In February 2026, the Commission allocated 347 million euros from CEF-Digital to strategic submarine cable projects and launched a call for 20 million for European repair capacities. The European Defense Fund has 130 million euros for open naval calls in 2026.
For the next multiannual financial framework (2028-2034), the proposed European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) could support investments in clean and digitized vessels, shipyard innovation, marine energy, and blue technology, as well as dual-use civil-military assets. The 2028-2034 CEF, with a proposed transport budget of 51.5 billion euros, will be another key instrument. The European Investment Bank Group has provided around 2.8 billion euros in own resources to maritime and inland ports from 2014-2025 and lends an average of 600 million a year to water transport projects.
The Commission encourages Member States to allocate part of their EU ETS revenues to maritime decarbonization investments and will consider a specific mechanism in the future ETS review to directly support shipping companies with emissions allowances for the adoption of sustainable fuels, linked to European preference criteria. The EU Taxonomy criteria for the water sector will be reviewed in the second quarter of 2026.
A significant piece of data that the industrial strategy itself highlights: the participation of European banks in global shipping finance portfolios has fallen from 72% in 2013 to 49.7% in 2023. European shipping companies are increasingly turning to banks and leasing institutions from third countries, which, the Commission warns, can create a strategic liability for the EU, as these institutions may retain ownership of leased vessels and impose local content requirements. To counter this trend, a new EU export credit instrument will be announced to support European shipyards and equipment manufacturers in third country markets.
Employment, skills, and the roadmap for small and medium ports
Up to 40% of the shipbuilding workforce could retire before 2030. In the Skills Pact for Shipbuilding, industrial partners have committed to reskill and upskill 7% of employees annually and attract 234,000 new workers by 2030. In the maritime transport sector, up to 250,000 seafarers will need professional retraining to meet emerging technological needs and those related to new fuels. The Commission will support the establishment of a network of maritime higher education institutions and vocational training centers across the EU, assist Member States in removing barriers to student mobility, promote sector participation in Erasmus+, and support increasing the participation of women, who are particularly underrepresented in navigation. The Blue Generational Renewal Strategy will be published in 2027, within the framework of the European Ocean Pact.
In the port sector, social partners are encouraged to establish a specific skills partnership within the Skills Pact. Guidelines on the application of maritime security legislation to port workers aboard vessels and training materials on the safe handling of alternative fuels will be published in 2027.
Attention to small and medium ports is captured in a specific roadmap —Annex 2 of the port strategy— which includes priority funding through cohesion funds, advice from the EIB for project preparation through JASPERS, support for electrification with the Electrification Action Plan, pilot projects for the integration of alternative energy sources, the BlueInvest platform to test new technologies, cybersecurity advice, and the extension of the Port Alliance to share best practices in combating drug trafficking. The Commission will also incorporate measures for coastal communities and islands in upcoming specific strategies.
The scope of the two communications adopted by Brussels is vast and touches on practically all aspects of the European maritime-port ecosystem, from monitoring foreign investment to ship recycling, from cybersecurity to military dual-use ferries. The Commission has conducted a detailed diagnosis of the sector, backed by exhaustive data and a broad public consultation. The measures are mostly articulated as guidelines, directives, roadmaps and support actions whose materialization will largely depend on the willingness of Member States, the adoption of regulations currently under negotiation —such as the Military Mobility Regulation or the Environmental Simplification package— and the negotiation of the next multiannual financial framework 2028-2034. The European maritime sector now has a comprehensive roadmap; it remains to be seen at what pace it translates into concrete actions.