In a geopolitical context “characterized by almost daily uncertainties and novelties,” where the Mediterranean appears increasingly sensitive to evolving security concerns, “the European Union should abandon its heavily Northern European approach and shift greater focus to the Mediterranean.”
This was the message conveyed by Rodolfo Giampieri, president of the Italian port association Assoporti, during a panel discussion with experts and institutional representatives at a port industry conference. The event, organized by the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority, formed part of the four-day Biennale del Mare e dell’Acqua—an initiative by Livorno Municipality celebrating the city’s maritime heritage and sea enthusiasts.
The issue of EU engagement has been raised before by industry leaders. Among the first to address it in Port News was Zeno D’Agostino, former president of Trieste’s Port Authority and current head of engineering firm Technital. “In Brussels, we’re governed by bureaucrats who aseptically—and sometimes illogically—enforce regulatory compliance. While legitimate, the era when Brussels prioritized strategic vision alongside regulation seems over,” D’Agostino remarked in an earlier interview.
The ex-chair of the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) had urged Brussels to strengthen the strategic positioning of Mediterranean ports, reviving the Mediterranean Free Trade Zones concept championed by former transport commissioner Loyola De Palacio.
Giampieri revisited this call today, urging Europe to acknowledge the unique competitive dynamics facing Mediterranean ports rather than fixating on Northern Range hubs: “There’s excessive focus on Northern European powerhouses,” he noted pointedly. “Italian ports compete not just with EU Mediterranean counterparts but also North African rivals—especially Morocco, which operates under entirely different rules. Their infrastructure timelines and methods diverge sharply from ours.”
The Assoporti president emphasized that Mediterranean prioritization “must first be politically guaranteed”—a challenge underscored by the contentious rollout of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) for shipping in 2024. Giampieri argues this measure harms both shipowners and consumers while undermining European ports’ competitiveness.
Europe’s strategies, he stressed, must extend beyond managing the status quo. They require visionary thinking attuned to a rapidly transforming world—one reshaping market models (through reshoring and nearshoring) and fundamental perspectives.
Limes editor Fabrizio Maronta framed this shift in his keynote: “The American-centric globalization model—tying consumer economies to liberal-democratic order—has become obsolete.” This framework, he noted, faltered against China’s state capitalism, “an efficient system that crushed competitors.” He cited the battery sector: China didn’t just import raw minerals from Africa or South America but refined and re-exported semi-processed goods, securing strategic dominance.
This trade war now extends to seabed mineral extraction and, critically, shipbuilding—where the U.S.-China gap has become unbridgeable. China constructs vessels three to four times faster; by 2030, its naval power will dwarf America’s. “U.S. maritime supremacy—which enabled hyper-globalized supply chains—will erode,” Maronta predicted, forcing a reckoning with diminished hegemony.
For Italy—a “transformation economy thriving on value-added processing of imported goods”—these shifts carry profound shipping implications. The Mediterranean, increasingly entangled in Middle Eastern instability, demands strategic engagement through infrastructure corridors and sustainability policies.
SRM (Intesa Sanpaolo Group) research head Alessandro Panaro critiqued current EU approaches: “The ETS prioritizes punishing polluters over rewarding sustainability, spawning evasion tactics that ultimately backfire.” The path forward, panelists agreed, requires deeper EU ties with North Africa and the Middle East—leveraging geography through policy, not just infrastructure.
