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Ports at the heart of the European energy transition: Ports of Normandy brings the voice of the regions to Brussels

Written by Negin Hashemi | Oct 17, 2025 9:03:30 AM

Ports of Normandy, in partnership with MEPs Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Renew Europe) and Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (S&D), organized a conference at the European Parliament dedicated to the role of regional ports in the ecological transition and the financing of maritime infrastructure after 2027.The event, supported by the Normandy Region, brought together European elected officials, representatives of the European Commission, ports, and stakeholders from the maritime sector. 

Opening the conference, Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region and Ports de Normandies, highlighted the strategic role of regional ports in European energy and industrial sovereignty. He highlighted Normandy's successes—Cherbourg, Caen, and Dieppe—as real levers for industrial redeployment and the energy transition, particularly towards renewable marine energy.

"Our ports are at the heart of France's industrial and energy revival. They must be recognized as European infrastructures of the future, just like major logistics hubs" he declared. 

The discussions of the first panel focused on the transition and resilience of the maritime sector. The speakers called for full recognition of territorial ports in the future European ports strategy, a clear allocation of funding for decarbonization (shore power, sail propulsion, alternative fuels), and a balanced approach between economic competitiveness and climate ambitions.

The European Commission reiterated that the new FuelEU Maritime and Alternative Fuels Infrastructure regulations will require shore power for ships from 2030, supporting the energy transition of European ports. 

The second panel focused on the financing of territorial ports. CINEA presented a report of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which has already mobilized €3.5 billion in port projects since 2014. It highlighted the quality of the applications submitted by ports of the global network, specifying that due to a lack of funding, only one in three applications for these regional ports is accepted. Olivier Silla also emphasized the need for a strengthened budget and a dedicated envelope to meet electrification and rail access needs. Representatives from Cyprus, Ireland, and Normandy emphasized the importance of stable, accessible, and tailored funding for medium-sized ports, key players in European resilience.

For Philippe Deiss, General Director of Ports de Normandie, "regional ports, as planning and added value creation tools on the territories, demonstrate their strategic value every day. They must be fully integrated into the priorities of the next European budget. The energy transition will not happen without them."

The conference led to a strong consensus: although less visible than those in the core network, territorial ports are now essential to the implementation of the European Green Deal. Their decarbonization, their industrial vocation, and their territorial anchoring make them essential players in Europe's sovereignty and competitiveness.

ABOUT PORTS OF NORMANDY

Owner and administrator of the ports of Caen-Ouistreham, Cherbourg and Dieppe, Ports of Normandy represents: 9,000 direct and indirect jobs; €493m invested in Normandy since its creation in 2007; 100 ha dedicated to Marines Renewable Energies, a maintenance base in Caen-Ouistreham and another under construction in Dieppe; 2 million cross-Channel passengers per year; 6.5 million tonnes of cargo per year; more than 60 cruise ship visits per year and more than 300,000 cruise passengers; 3,200 marina berths, a dry stack marina, 25,000 overnight stays and 7000 visitors per year; over 12,000T of fish landed, i.e. a third of all fishery landings in Normandy; over 300 dry dockings per year. 

Ports of Normandy is an alliance between Normandy Council, the Departments of Calvados, Manche and SeineMaritime and the agglomeration communities of Caen-la-Mer, Le Cotentin and Dieppe-Maritime serving economic development in the region. Learn more about Ports of Normandy at portsdenormandie.fr

Press contact: Anne Pétri-Maillard - +33 (0)6 23 50 48 99 – anne.petri-maillard@portsdenormandie.fr