The Hague 2025

Young Visions of Peace and Security

INTA

Committee on International Trade I

Pier Pressure: Seaports are not only conduits for European trade, but also hubs for research, and the development of industrial and environmental innovations. However, European ports face a regulatory environment fragmented between the European and national levels and infiltration by drug trafficking networks, hindering investment needed to keep pace with growing worldwide competition and decarbonization commitments. With this in mind, what can the EU do to ensure European ports fulfill their economic and societal potential? 
Nadia Schnider (CH)

Executive Summary 

Seaports are indispensable to the European economy, serving as critical hubs for trade and creating over a million jobs. Sea freight is especially prevalent in international trade, accounting for over half of imports into the EU, thanks to its cost efficiency and comparatively low emissions. However, this growing reliance on seaports in trade is accompanied by significant challenges that strain the efficiency and sustainability of European seaports and their surrounding communities. The increase in freight demand has already strained existing infrastructure and with limited prospects for expansion this creates costly bottlenecks and delays in transport. The environmental burden exacerbates these problems: while sea transport is relatively fuel-efficient, emissions from shipping remain a major contributor to climate change and negatively impact local populations. Simultaneously, port cities which are largely located in low-lying areas face additional risks from rising sea levels and climate-related flooding. With seaports increasingly targeted by drug smugglers and other organised crime, gang-related violence spills over into nearby communities. While the EU has newly introduced milestone measures such as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for logistical corridors, the FuelEU Maritime regulation for greener ports, and the European Ports Alliance Public Private Partnership to combat organised crime, the question remains on how the EU can better relieve the unique combination of economic, environmental and social stressors that port regions currently face.

Table Of Contents
  1. Committee on International Trade I
  2. Executive Summary 
  3. Introduction
  4. Fundamental Challenges 
  5. Key Stakeholders
  6. Measures in place
  7. Local Impact: Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta
  8. Outlook 

This committee is supported by North Sea Port

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Introduction

Seaports are at the heart of the European economy. Not only do sea transports make up 40% of goods exchanged in the internal market, but another 400 million passengers travel through European seaports per year.1 In international trade, sea transport is also by far the most prevalent mode of transport for goods with 43.9% of EU exports and 51% of imports — and European reliance on sea transports is growing steadily due to cost efficiency and comparably low emissions.2 Seaports also have tremendous direct impacts on local communities as prominent employers in port cities, with an estimated 1.5 million workers directly employed in ports or related services.3

However, significant challenges continue to limit European ports’ rewards. The demand for goods in the EU is ever growing and especially the volume of goods transported by sea is projected to increase by 50% until 2030.4 This increased demand coincides with new technological advances in freight shipping, while many European ports, especially those close to urban areas, do not currently have the ability to handle this influx.5 Many of Europe’s most important ports are located in densely populated areas, making further expansions of the seaports challenging. Consequently, port cities and the hinterland are subjected to disproportionate traffic congestion once cargo is transferred to freight trucks for inland transport.6

Environmental challenges are also acutely present – port cities’ location at low-lying coastal regions and river deltas creates particular exposure to climate change’s effects. At the same time, seaports take their toll on local populations through waste from ships, traffic congestion, noise and light pollution.7 Finally, the infrastructure of European seaports is exploited by organised crime and drug smugglers, with crime-related violence frequently spilling over from port cities to surrounding towns, too.8  In sum, this poses the question of how the EU can adapt to the unique challenges and opportunities facing seaports and local communities.

Figure 2: The European container port system and logistics core regions in the hinterland9

Fundamental Challenges 

National Differences

A hallmark trait of the EU is the Single Market along with the Customs Union, which have created a unique trading zone on the European continent. Thanks to the union-wide regulation, there is a high density of uniform regulations for both the import of goods into the European Single Market as well as the movement of goods between Member States. However, reality is not so uniform: a handful of countries do the vast majority of the heavy lifting, with the three biggest seaports — Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg — accounting for 20% of imports by sea.10 While this specialisation has historically grown and benefited the local economies, it also signifies a tremendous dependance on these cities and their infrastructure. Finally, different levels of technological implementation and skilled labour further exacerbate the differences between seaports, where especially smaller and Southern seaports lag behind in technology investments.11

The Limits of Growth

Sea cargo traffic to and from the EU is predicted to increase significantly over the course of the decade.12 This is made possible because increasing demand for both intermediate and final goods is met with innovations in shipping technology, with the newest container ships being able carry up to 18.000 containers.13 Increased reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a replacement for Russian gas has prompted increasing need for LNG terminals in key seaports.14 However, expansions of seaport infrastructure are limited by both financial and physical constraints — seaports such as the port of Rotterdam are already enclosed by residential areas and natural habitats. Many ports are already reaching their limits for freight turnover, seeing as both options for container depositing and inland transport are severely limited, thus creating costly bottlenecks.15 Especially when it comes to connecting seaports with inland freight hubs, delays occur — causing additional costs to businesses and consumers — and transporters increasingly switch from water and rail transport to the less environmentally-friendly road transport (trucks).16 

Green Transition

Freight transport contributes substantially to climate change, making up around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.17 In contrast to air transport, sea transport is significantly more fuel-efficient, thus positioning it as a more sustainable substitute. However, this does not go to say that cargo ships are particularly sustainable either; while the emissions per ton of cargo is low compared to air transport, the cumulative amount of emissions is very high regardless. Fuels used by the cargo ships release harmful amounts of greenhouse gases, such as nitrogen dioxide, into the atmosphere, placing the health of local populations in jeopardy.18 What is more, port cities are additionally burdened by water pollution through waste from ships, dust, increased traffic congestion, noise and light pollution.19 Finally, it is worth noting that Europe’s port cities are also particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, most of all rising sea levels, due to their locations at coastlines and river deltas.

Organised Crime & Drug Trafficking

Port cities are also increasingly falling victim to another harmful phenomenon: organised crime. Criminal networks finance themselves through the trade of illicit goods, with drug smuggling being one of the most lucrative activities.20 In order to conduct smuggling, crime networks target Europe’s seaports through bribing port officials as well as the now widespread misappropriation of container reference codes, so-called PIN code fraud.21 In addition to illicit goods such as drugs entering the EU, organised crime also causes negative spillovers into the residential areas surrounding seaports: where rival crime groups amass, competition turns into strings of gang-related violence, causing strain on local communities.22

Key Stakeholders

Figure 3: Stakeholder Overview

In the EU executive arm, the Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) is responsible for policy regarding trade between the Union and countries outside the EU. They work to forge new trade relationships with strategic partners abroad, reduce customs on European exports, and reduce bureaucracy and other frictions hampering trade. Regarding sea freight in particular, the DG TRADE works to harmonise technical standards, increase security, and towards a green transition. Once freight enters the Single Market, the Directorate-General  for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) becomes a key partner in creating infrastructure for further transport into the hinterland and mitigating bottlenecks. 

Europol is the agency responsible for tracking, analysing, and combating cross-border crime in the EU. Their purpose is to support Member States, rather than being an independent investigative body. Europol specializes in crimes requiring an international approach, including drug smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime, and terrorism.

Considering the Single Market falls under the EU’s lead competence, Member States largely take on the role of implementing EU policies on a national and regional level when it comes to trade. Nonetheless, Member States remain important stakeholders for seaports through their involvement in infrastructure planning and investment, technology and education, local law enforcement, and streamlining bureaucratic processes.

On an international level, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is an important stakeholder for the EU. The WTO’s aim is to facilitate trade between countries through implementing common standards, resolve trade disputes, and decrease both bureaucracy and barriers to trade. When negotiating with the WTO, the Member States are collectively represented by the European Commission.

The freight sector is made up of numerous private enterprises, which are represented by interest groups in European politics. Two noteworthy interest groups are the European Sea Port Organisation (ESPO) and the Federation of European Private Port Companies and Terminals (FEPORT). Together, they promote investments into digitalisation, increase efficiency in customs procedures, up-/reskilling of port workers, and green transition.

Measures in place

The EU Trade Framework: Thanks to the EU’s exclusive competence, trade is an exceptionally legally dense area. Most broadly, as a member of the WTO, the EU is a signatory to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as well as Trade in Services (GATS), which lay the international groundwork for reducing trade barriers. The EU has elaborated on these principles in countless regulations; among them is the Port Services Regulation, which outlines the integration of European seaports into a Union-wide network as well as common financial standards.23

Logistical Milestones: The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a key element of the EU’s strategy to upgrade transport and mobility infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks, secure jobs and enable multimodal transport.24 It aims to connect all major cities and nodes in the EU through so-called corridors by 2030, and ultimately connect all regions to the core network by 2050.25 For freight transport, a key aim of TEN-T is for freight more terminals to accommodate 740-meter long trains, which most seaports currently cannot.26 The TEN-T infrastructure projects are largely funded through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which focuses on cross-border infrastructure projects, removing bottlenecks, and reducing transport-related environmental harm.27

Green Transition: The FuelEU Maritime Regulation outlines how the shipping industry’s carbon emissions should be reduced by 80% until 2050.28 The regulation sets progressive limits to the permitted average greenhouse gas emissions for ships calling at European ports and further requires ships to use on-shore power supplies or alternative zero-emission technologies from 2030 onwards.29 To ensure greenhouse gas targets for the maritime sector are met, emissions from large ships have been added to the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).30 While the impact of these two new policies remains to be seen, it is worth noting that they have faced criticism for setting relatively unambitious targets, raising concerns over the real contribution of the policy to lowering emissions.31 Moreover, the open-ended wording of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation shows its hope for (and reliance on) innovations in the sustainable fuel sector that have yet to be invented.

Security Strategy: When it comes to organised crime targeting seaports, the efforts of individual Member States have largely proved futile. To reinforce efforts, the European Ports Alliance Public Private Partnership  was introduced which unites law enforcement agencies in Member States, Europol, customs authorities, and freight companies.32 The Partnership aims to reduce violence, corruption, intimidation, and drug smuggling in seaports, and has a 10% increase in seized cocaine to show for it.33 Simultaneously, this measure is geared towards customs authorities, ports, and their business interests, while gang violence in nearby communities remains in the hands of local police.   

Local Impact: Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta

Figure 4: Dry ports and Logistics Zones around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta34

Two of Europe’s largest seaports, Rotterdam and Antwerp, are located in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt (RMS) Delta. These ports connect to numerous inland ports and logistics hubs, including Tilburg, Venlo, Liège, Brussels, and Duisburg, and through those services much of the hinterland. Not only does this make the RMS Delta the densest freight and logistics cluster in Europe, but it is also a model example of international cooperation; the delta spans Dutch and Belgian coastal regions and supplies hinterlands from the Benelux countries and Germany well into Central Europe.35 However, due to this density, the RMS Delta also experiences many of the negative effects at a heightened level: Traffic congestion,36 air pollution,37 and violence from organised crime38 are taking a toll on the population of the RMS Delta. Not only that, but the delta is particularly exposed to climate change-related flooding and sea-level rise, raising concerns about the sustainability and longevity of the trade hub.39

Outlook 

In European trade, seaports are in high demand. With how important sea freight is to the European economy, as it brings both consumer goods and intermediate goods for further production, there is a lot of interest in improving and expanding seaports. Unfortunately, there are limits: Many of Europe’s largest ports’ capacities are already exhausted and also do not have space to expand inland. Moreover, insufficiently streamlined connectivity to the hinterland creates costly bottlenecks. This raises the question, if the increasing demand can be met purely through efficiency gains in leading ports, or whether Europe needs to find new entry points to supply the continent. With smaller ports falling behind in investments into state-of-the-art technologies, it remains to be seen what roles they can play in the future of the freight industry.

European seaports and port cities are a unique environment: They are extremely economically dynamic regions which attract a lot of trading, cargo, and logistics businesses, in turn creating many jobs. Due to the importance of connectivity between seaports and inland hubs, key port regions can rely on investments in infrastructure and transport corridors also in the future. However, port activities and traffic also take their toll on local populations through pollution, traffic congestion, and organised crime, which for the most part have predominantly been addressed with a focus on immediate port business. At the same time, the response to human and environmental impacts remains in question.

→ How can European seaports increase their capacity, efficiency, and connectivity to the hinterland to meet future demands?
→ What role do smaller seaports have in lightening the burden of current heavy lifters, such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Antwerp?
→ What can the EU do to move forward the green transition in the maritime sector, also considering global interconnectivity?
→ How can the EU combat organised crime in ports and ensure social responsibility in port cities?

FOOTNOTES

  1. European Commission (2025). Transport modes: Internal Market. Link ↩︎
  2.  Eurostat (2024). Value of EU goods transported by sea was 47% in 2023. Link  ↩︎
  3.  Eurostat (2024). Value of EU goods transported by sea was 47% in 2023. Link  ↩︎
  4.  European Commission (2013). Europe’s Seaports 2030: Challenges Ahead. Link ↩︎
  5.  Ibid. ↩︎
  6. li OECD (2018). Traffic Planning in Port-Cities. Link ↩︎
  7.  European Parliamentary Research Service (2017). EU port cities and port area regeneration. Link ↩︎
  8.  Europol (2022). New Modus Operandi: How organised crime infiltrates the ports of Europe. Link ↩︎
  9.  Theo Notteboom (2008). The Relationship between Seaports and the Inter-Modal Hinterland in Light of Global Supply Chains. Link ↩︎
  10.  European Commission (2013). Europe’s Seaports 2030: Challenges Ahead. Link ↩︎
  11.  Deloitte, ESPO (2021). Europe’s ports at the crossroads of transitions. Link ↩︎
  12.  European Commission (2013). Europe’s Seaports 2030: Challenges Ahead. Link ↩︎
  13.  BBC (2013). How much bigger can container ships get? Link ↩︎
  14.  European Council (2024). Liquified natural gas infrastructure in the EU. Link ↩︎
  15.  European Central Bank (2021). What is driving the recent surge in shipping costs? Link ↩︎
  16.  European Environmental Agency (2021). NAIADES III: Boosting future-proof European inland waterway transport. Link ↩︎
  17.  Climate Action Accelerator (2021). Shift from Air to Sea Freight. Link ↩︎
  18.  Atmospheric Environment (2024). The impact of shipping on the air quality in European port cities with a detailed analysis for Rotterdam. Link ↩︎
  19.  European Parliamentary Research Service (2017). EU port cities and port area regeneration. Link ↩︎
  20.  European Commission (2024). Commission launches the European Ports Alliance Public Private Partnership to fight organised crime and drug trafficking. Link ↩︎
  21.  Europol (2023). New Modus Operandi: How organised crime infiltrates the ports of Europe. Link ↩︎
  22.  Ibid. ↩︎
  23.  Regulation (EU) 2017/352 ↩︎
  24.  Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 ↩︎
  25.  European Commission (2024). Trans-National Transport Network (TEN-T). Link ↩︎
  26.  Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (2019). TEN-T Railway Axes: An Overview of the EU Technical Requirements. Link ↩︎
  27.  CINEA (2024). CEF: Discover the Programme. Link ↩︎
  28.  Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 ↩︎
  29.  European Commission (2024). Decarbonising maritime transport — FuelEU Maritime. Link ↩︎
  30.  European Commission (2024). Reducing emissions from the shipping sector. Link ↩︎
  31.  Transport & Environment (2023). The impact of FuelEU Maritime on European shipping. Link ↩︎
  32.  European Commission (2024). Commission launches the European Ports Alliance Public Private Partnership to fight organised crime and drug trafficking. Link ↩︎
  33.  European Commission (2024). Commission launches the European Ports Alliance Public Private Partnership to fight organised crime and drug trafficking. Link ↩︎
  34.  Theo Notteboom (2014). Contributions to Port Technology International. Link ↩︎
  35.  University of Antwerp (2013). Rhine-Scheldt Delta Port Region. Link ↩︎
  36.  Brussels Times (2024). Year of record-breaking traffic jams, mostly caused by roadworks. Link ↩︎
  37. Atmospheric Environment (2024). The impact of shipping on the air quality in European port cities with a detailed analysis for Rotterdam. Link ↩︎
  38.  The Guardian (2022). Mob-style killings shock Netherlands into fighting descent into ‘narco state’. Link ↩︎
  39.  Journal of Flood Risk Management (2022). Protecting the Rhine-Meuse delta against sea level rise: What to do with the river’s discharge? Link ↩︎