Ports discussed port law and green transition with transport minister

On Monday, Minister for Transport Benny Engelbrecht visited the Port of Copenhagen for a meeting with the Danish Ports Association and Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP). The meeting focused on port law and green transition, and the minister was of course also given a tour of the port.

The ministerial meeting was organized by the Danish Ports Association, which represents the country's commercial ports, and was held in cooperation with CMP.

"We had a good and constructive meeting today, where I also had the opportunity to get a tour of the Port of Copenhagen. I am very concerned about ensuring a stable framework for the future port sector for many years to come. Therefore, it is an important focal point in the work on future legislation to ensure broad political support. At the same time, there have been many different opinions on what should happen to the Port Act from key players in the industry and from the political side in the wake of the expert committee's recommendations for revision of the Port Act from spring 2018. I therefore believe that there is a need to listen to the various parties and hold the necessary discussions before we settle on what a revision of the Port Act should look like, says Minister for Transport Benny Engelbrecht.

Satisfied ports
After the meeting there was also satisfaction at Danske Havne, which was represented by chairman Carsten Aa and director Tine Kirk Pedersen.

"We had a very good meeting with the Minister of Transport, where we talked about how we move forward with the Port Act. We therefore look positively on the further process, which we look forward to being a part of, and we greatly appreciate that the Minister would like to make a port law that embraces the entire industry, because only through cooperation can we stand strongest in the international competition," Tine Kirk Pedersen emphasizes and continues:

"We also discussed our wish for the Danish Parliament to adopt a long-term, sustainable infrastructure plan, and that the ports will naturally play a role in this, when there are so many climate benefits to be gained by moving goods from road to sea and rail."

CMP talked about green transition
CMP's CEO Barbara Scheel Agersnap participated, and she was pleased to be able to show around the port and to discuss green transition with the Minister of Transport:

"The port has always been a meeting place for people, goods, activity, views and trade. We will continue to be so in the future, where we will take an active role in the green transition. The port will be the hub for many of the good forces that want to make the maritime industry greener. We will open the port and create a platform where industry, research and entrepreneurship can meet, share knowledge and inspire each other. Through strong partnerships, we will boost green maritime development. I was pleased to articulate this to the Minister today - and to give examples of how this is already happening."

The ministerial meeting was part of a series of meetings with new rapporteurs and other relevant politicians that Danish Ports has been working on since the summer holidays, and today's meeting participants agreed to keep the dialogue going in the coming period.

On the picture (from left):
Carsten Aa, Chairman of Danish Ports
Tine Kirk Pedersen, CEO of Danish Ports
Benny Engelbrecht, Minister of Transport (S)
Barbara Scheel Agersnap, CEO of Copenhagen Malmö Port