German Port Delegation Visits the Agency

On July 3, the Port Governance Agency hosted representatives from the Working Group for Inland Ports of Southwest Germany, from the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Director Vuk Perović emphasized that the visit of the German colleagues is of great importance for the exchange of experiences and knowledge in the field of port activities. He presented the Agency's current activities and development projects, with a special focus on digitalization and the "greening" of the port sector. According to him, the "Green Ports" project, initiated by the Agency, aims to introduce clean energy to Serbian ports to align with the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and reduce the carbon footprint of water transport.

Regarding cargo ports, he highlighted the expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to include four additional Serbian ports, which means better visibility, connection with other European corridors, the ability to accommodate transit freight flows, and consequently, increased freight traffic and mobility.

He mentioned that the Agency has formed a partnership network with key institutions in the field of ports and water transport from Europe and the world and invited the German delegation representatives to propose their initiatives for joint projects.

Uwe Köhn, Director of the Port of Mannheim and Chairman of the group, thanked the Agency for the reception and underscored the importance of information exchange for further improvement of inland ports in Europe. He stated that the association comprises 11 ports located on the Rhine, Neckar, and Main rivers, including those in Mannheim, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Basel, aiming to represent their interests at the federal, state, and local levels. The activities of German ports are focused on strengthening sustainable logistics through the integration of road, rail, and water transport.

Following the meeting, a tour of the Port of Belgrade was organized, during which the German delegation had the opportunity to learn more about port activities and operations in Serbia.

It was agreed to intensify cooperation between the Agency and the ports of Southwest Germany, as well as to organize study visits and explore the possibility of joint projects in the field of "green" energy in ports, taking into account Europe's comprehensive decarbonization goals for the transport system.