Transnational ENhancement of ECOPORT8 network
In the recent years the ports are the hub-point of the Core Regional Transport Networks, as precursors for the TEN-T comprehensive network in the South East Europe. In this direction, a great responsibility was entrusted to the port authorities: they are the authority appointed for the Control and the real application of the Environmental Manage System, being the nodes that ensure the environmental sustainability of the intermodal transport networks, to them is entrust the management of the public area in which operate a lot of external enterprises that ensure the economic development of the cities and their environmental quality. There are two steps to ensure the sustainable development of the sea-corridors: firstly working on sustainability of the process - the implementation of common policies creating same opportunities in the involved countries and not affecting the concurrency among ports - and secondly verifying the quality of process' results. This second step is harder to achieve than the first one because of the difficulty in defining the link between implemented processes and the foreseen results. The consideration makes necessary to follow up the process step by step, monitoring intermediate results and identifying the critical points in order to modify, over time, the implemented programs through a closed chain approach. It is necessary the involvement of all stakeholders managing activities related with ports, in order to have timely responses and shared possible solutions in a peer relationship with Port Authorities. The present project, enlarging the existing network established among the ECOPORT8 ports, is focused on the creation of a permanent discussion platform organized on two levels: the first one among the port authorities - aimed to establish common rules - and a second one between ports and stakeholders operating within port area, aimed to verify the process results and to propose amending over time of the Environmental protocols.