Promoting the Port Community

Two meetings of the Steering Council were held, with a high degree of compliance of the objectives of the eight Working Groups

STEERING COUNCIL AND WORKING GROUPS

Through specific working groups, the Port Community Steering Council channels and materialises the interests of all the public and private bodies that are active in the port area into specific initiatives.

In 2016 there were two meetings of the Steering Council, to present the progress and work achieved by each of the working groups and the high degree of compliance with their objectives. The Working Groups (WG) comprise:

At the request of the Steering Council, three groups more specifically presented their initiatives and their work:

• The Road Transport WG has been focusing this year on rail infrastructures and connections to the Port's hinterland. It took on a leading role to coordinate and improve rail management, drafting an ordinance and using IT tools for sustainable development of trains.

• The Short Sea Shipping WG updated the assessment of the Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria markets, organised the ShortSea 2016 Conference and coordinated the Port Community's participation in various events and conferences both nationally and internationally.

• The Strategy and Innovation WG is new and aims to identify the future scenario of the Port of Barcelona as a generator of wealth for the surrounding area and to promote new ideas to ensure steady and sustainable development of its Port Community. A survey was launched as part of this objective, which is pending analysis.

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TRADE MISSION TO PANAMA AND CUBA

The Port of Barcelona's 2016 trade mission to Panama and Cuba aimed to foster trade between Catalonia and the Caribbean, to promote new business opportunities and establish or consolidate business ties in the region.

Delegation

This multisectorial business and institutional delegation comprised more than 60 executives, mainly in the sector of port logistics and consultancy, software, timber infrastructure and services. This eighteenth mission was led by Josep Rull, Regional Minister for Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and Sixte Cambra, Port of Barcelona president. As on the previous mission, the list of contacts was shared with another business mission organised by ACCIÓ and chaired by Jordi Baiget, regional minister for Business and Knowledge.

Business seminars

In Panama, before an audience of 250 people, the Port set out its position as the gateway to the Iberian Peninsula, Southern Europe and North Africa for goods from the Caribbean area as well as a more competitive port of origin for Catalan and European exports. The technical customs seminar included a hundred professionals and was the largest representation so far.

In Cuba, as well as presenting the business infrastructure and logistics services to the 200 attendees, the president stressed the position of the Port of Barcelona as a base for cruise ships and its integration into the city through the Port Vell project.

Bilateral contacts

During the mission, there were over 200 bilateral contacts between companies and Catalan institutions and those of the destination countries. The ACCIÓ office in Panama was responsible for preparing lists of contacts there, while in Cuba this fell to the Spanish Embassy's Trade and Economic Office (ICEX). Some companies also prepared their own contacts and others participated in the institutional meetings.

Institutional agenda

As part of the mission, meetings were held with the heads of Panama's Ministry of the Presidency; Panama and Cuba's Tourism ministers; the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority and the Minister for Canal Affairs. Working sessions were also held with executives from Panamá-Pacífico, the L2 Panama metro project, Havana's Office of the Historian and MAERSK and MELFI shipping companies.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the new Panama Canal and see live one of the locks at Cocolí and the control tower. It was also able to learn about the port and Mariel Special Development Area (ZEDM), which is expected to be the largest logistics centre in Cuba.

Agreements

At the institutional level, the presidents of the associations of the Port Community signed cooperation agreements with their Panamanian counterparts to promote the exchange of experiences and knowledge. Moreover, the Ministry of the Presidency of the Republic of Panama and the Port of Barcelona defined the signing of a memorandum of cooperation for training, organising multidisciplinary structures and teams, and a trade facilitation platform.

Some companies closed trade agreements while others began to define lines for immediate future collaboration.

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