Launch of the Study on Governance Models of Mediterranean Ports

10 December 2025, Barcelona – The Official Presentation of the Study on Governance Models of Mediterranean Ports will be held on 10 December 2025 at 11:00hat the Port of Barcelona.

Conducted by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretariat in collaboration with MEDPorts Association, the Study represents a pioneering effort to compile and analyse data on port structures, ownership models, regulatory frameworks, and operational responsibilities in the region.

The Study includes an in-depth comparative analysis of the different governance and organisation models existing at the level of the Mediterranean ports that are members of MEDPorts. The quality and quantity of information provided by the Study make it a unique and highly innovative project in the Mediterranean region.

The Study will be of great added value to all UfM members, maritime transport stakeholders and other interested parties in the region, whether EU or non-EU, since there are currently no other similar initiatives in the Mediterranean region.

The MEDPorts Association comprises more than 30 members from all shores of the Mediterranean representing more than 70% of the freight traffic and 90% of the passenger traffic handled in the Mediterranean Sea. The Study covered relevant information from the port models of the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Jordan, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain and Tunisia.

The Official Presentation will bring together representatives of Mediterranean ports, policy-makers, industry experts, and international organisations to discuss the study’s key findings and their implications for sustainable and efficient port governance in the Mediterranean.

The aim of this Study is fully consistent and aligned with the new UfM Regional Transport Action Plan (RTAP) for the Mediterranean region until 2027, endorsed at the 2^nd UfM Transport Ministerial on Transport held in 2023. RTAP Action 25, on “Monitoring the functioning of transport systems”, tasks the UfM Secretariat to consider the “establishment of a permanent knowledge centre […] through the systematic collection and analysis of relevant data to monitor the functioning of transport systems in the Mediterranean region.”

The results of the Study will be key a contribution to this “permanent knowledge centre”, which will support the activities of the UfM Regional Platform on Transport Connectivity and its thematic working groups, in particular the Working Group on Maritime Transport, and therefore fits perfectly into the UfM Ministerial mandate.

Additional information including a Concept Note & Agenda will be shared shortly.