The jury selected these five applications from a total of 11 submissions. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Nature in Ports’.
The award will go to the port authority that succeeds the best in safeguarding and further upgrading the nature and ecosystem (on land and/or waterside) in the port area and would also reward ports that succeed in opening up these areas for the people living around the port and let them enjoy that nature, notwithstanding ISPS restrictions. In general, European ports are part of very valuable ecosystems, both on the land and waterside. Many port areas are also neighbouring Natura 2000 areas or even consist of Natura 2000 areas. Port authorities in Europe invest a lot of time and efforts in maintaining and improving the quality of the nature in the port.
“It has been a great pleasure to chair my first ESPO selection jury. What it revealed has been an impressive standard of entries from a diverse geographical spread. In selecting a short list we did so conscious that in such a context there are no losers. What our five chosen entries capture and express are the capacity and qualities that permit them to act as a demonstration effect of good practice”, said Pat Cox, Chairman of the ESPO award jury.
The winner of the eighth ESPO Award will be announced during the Award Ceremony taking place on 9 November in Brussels. The shortlisted projects will be presented on the ESPO website in the running up to this event.
The ESPO Award was established in 2009 to promote innovative projects of port authorities that improve societal integration of ports, especially with the city or wider community in which they are located. In this way, the Award wan