Ladies and gentlemen,

Its a pleasure to be here today. Im glad that the upcoming Maritime Industrial Strategy is your focus. The maritime and port sectors are heavily influenced by global changes and significantly impact our economy and lifestyle. Europe faces major security challenges, such as growing international competition, increasing protectionism, and the fight against climate change. Technologies are changing how we live and work, affecting maritime transport. Our policies for the maritime and port sectors reflect broader EU objectives: increasing competitiveness, enhancing security, and fighting climate change. The Competitiveness Compass and the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan will help us achieve these ambitions, particularly for maritime and aviation fuels and infrastructure. We are working towards a more sustainable future by applying EU rules and driving international ambitions. Our Industrial and Maritime Strategy, along with our Ports Strategy, will ensure we are ready for this new era and even lead it. We focus on increasing the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of Europes maritime manufacturing sector and the broader waterborne value chain. Our shipbuilding industry leads the world in constructing complex vessels and advanced technologies. However, fierce global competition remains. Regulations like FuelEU Maritime and the Emissions Trading System provide a clear path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, we need to go further. The Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal align decarbonisation with long-term competitiveness to create new jobs and stimulate economic growth. We aim to support our maritime industrial and technological base and drive the green and digital transformation of the entire waterborne ecosystem. We strive to strengthen EU leadership in complex shipbuilding and advanced technologies, while maintaining our global edge in emerging technologies. We must also preserve our competitiveness in maritime shipping, a vital pillar of Europes economy. We also want to boost our blue economy. Its too early to share all the details of the Strategy, but I can mention several key areas we are focusing on: promoting research and innovation for green and digital ships and shipbuilding processes, driving investment for the green and digital transition, strengthening domestic capabilities and promoting fair competitive conditions, and fostering collaboration and synergies across EU Member States and regions. We must also address labour and skills shortages, which hinder the sectors green and digital transition and have a direct impact on safety. This strategy will respond not only to the recommendations of the Draghi and Niinistö reports but also strengthen links between the defense industry and other strategic sectors, including shipbuilding. The EU Ports Strategy is also on the horizon. Ports are vital multimodal hubs in the supply chain, connecting sea and land, and are becoming centers for sustainable energy, industrial activity, and the circular economy. They also play a critical role in military mobility. The EU Ports Strategy will focus on competitiveness, resilience, sustainability, safety, security, and digitalisation opportunities. The energy transition offers new opportunities for ports as production and import hubs for clean energies. We must also focus on resilience, defense, and security, especially in light of the current geopolitical situation. Its important that we can move military goods and troops quickly and efficiently. The EU has identified four priority military mobility corridors and is working on addressing bottlenecks that hinder military movements. We must also streamline and harmonise the complex and divergent national laws and procedures. Ports play a central role in military mobility in Europe and beyond. We will ensure that sufficient EU ports are military mobility enabled. This means ports must be equipped with specialised infrastructure to handle large and heavy military equipment. These ports will also need sufficient storage and strong road and rail connections. Port ownership and management must be clear, especially during crises. In peacetime, sharing assets and services between civilian and military users makes sense, but in a crisis, armed forces must have priority. Beyond general security, we must also consider the security of our ports and the broader maritime sector. Cyber threats, trafficking, organised crime, hybrid and grey zone tactics are daily realities that affect safety and our trade routes and supply chains. Securing critical maritime assets, including ports, undersea cables, and energy corridors, is now urgent. The EU Defence Strategy, the EU Preparedness Strategy, and the Internal Security Strategy, all launched this year, form the first part of our response. The upcoming EU Ports Strategy and Ocean Pact will be the second part. Of course, we are not alone. The EU is working closely with like-minded partners, bilaterally and within frameworks such as NATO and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). This brings me to the negotiations currently taking place in London. As you know, the IMOs Marine Environment Protection Committee is discussing a final package of measures to deliver on the 2023 IMO Strategy on reducing gas emissions from ships. In the EU, we recognise that a global challenge like climate change requires global solutions. Global solutions will also help ensure a level playing field for ports. We are committed to achieving an ambitious, robust global agreement that works for all. For us, it is important that this final package includes both a technical goal-based fuel standard and a greenhouse gas emissions pricing mechanism. These will help meet the Strategys targets while protecting EU interests. Whether were talking about decarbonisation, digitalisation, security, or competitiveness, your sector clearly needs substantial investment. We must modernise port infrastructure and seize every opportunity available. This is not just about securing funding. Our strategies will also look at how to target and prioritise funding to meet emerging needs. We will soon launch consultations on both the Ports and Maritime Strategies, and I strongly encourage you to share your views. We need your input. Ladies and gentlemen, the challenges we face can feel overwhelming, especially in todays world of shifting realities and uncertainty. But we know what we must do. And if we stay focused on our goals, and most importantly work together, I am confident that we are strong enough to weather these times and to chart a course towards greater prosperity. We can do this. Together. Thank you, and I wish you an inspiring conference.