The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has officially joined the European Union’s ‘Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters’ Charter. This recognition highlights the central role European ports play in protecting marine ecosystems and driving the transition to a carbon-neutral, circular blue economy.

By endorsing the Charter, ESPO aligns its actions with three core EU objectives for 2030: restoring biodiversity, eliminating pollution, and achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral blue economy.

Active Support from the ESPO Secretariat

The ESPO Secretariat will play a hands-on role in raising awareness and fostering engagement among its members by sharing best practices and port-led projects.

To support the Mission, the Secretariat has committed to the following key actions:

Public Endorsement: Officially endorsing the Mission Charter and communicating this commitment to the wider maritime sector.
Member Engagement: Encouraging ESPO members and the broader network to endorse the Charter and submit their own environmental actions.
Policy Dialogue: Discussing Mission actions and marine policy within the ESPO Sustainable Development Committee during its bi-annual meetings.

Knowledge Sharing: Featuring marine-related port projects on the dedicated ‘best practices’ page of the ESPO website.
Active Participation: Representing the port sector at Mission Ocean events as both attendees and expert speakers.
Because our ports rely on healthy waters, we are dedicated to playing our part in improving the state of our oceans for the future.
Source: ESPO