On 29 November, the POSEIDON project conducted a study visit to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The visit was attended by the POSEIDON Consortium partners and supporting partners, such as representatives of the Port of Venice authorities, and Port of Cartagena, as well as local stakeholders from the public and private sector, for a total of 28 participants.
The study visits included a moderated discussion on vulnerabilities in the supply chain port system delivered from our partner Ecorys, as well as set of interesting presentations from representatives of the local Port Authority, terminal, trade union organisations as well as representatives of the security and judiciary fields.
Participants were also able to enjoy a guided visit to the Terminal hosting the event, which allowed to witness firsthand the daily work in the port, and better understand potential strengths and challenges.
Preparing the ground for the event of the following day – the first POSEIDON Thematic Dialogue, which focused on public-private cooperation – the importance of public-private collaboration was also clearly emphasized during the visit.
Through its work, the POSEIDON project places a specific importance on the collaboration between different stakeholders. This is also done via the establishment of its EU Public-Private Port Stakeholder Network, which will facilitate regular inter-port dialogue and cooperation, and foster the exchange of good practices on addressing and managing corruption vulnerabilities.
Our thanks go to our partner, the University of Ghent, for making this visit possible, as well as to all stakeholders involved for the fruitful and engaging discussions.
The POSEIDON project remains committed to its mission of fighting corruption in European ports, strengthening cross-border and cross-sector collaboration, and fostering the sharing of experiences to improve the security and integrity of this sector.
