Italian
Large transport infrastructures are not only the backbone of logistics but also the true engine that shapes the economic destiny and international vocation of territories. It is from this premise that the conference “Ports, Interports, and Corridors. Venice and the Upper Adriatic as a Gateway for Traffic to the East” took place on May 27 at the Arsenale in Venice during the Boat Show. The event, organized by Venice Sustainability Foundation (VSF) in collaboration with the Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Ports of Venice and Chioggia, the Municipality of Venice, and VE.LA Spa, and with the support of Eni and Alilaguna, brought together the main players in the transport sector, port, and airport system to outline the future development routes of the North East.
The discussions have focused on the role and strategic potential of the ports of the Upper Adriatic – Ravenna, Trieste, and Venice, along with Koper and Rijeka – as the port arc closest to the center of economic Europe. This potential is still largely unexpressed, as evidenced by one key fact: 69% of companies in Veneto prefer the port of Genoa as their first choice for exports. This evidence fits within a broader loss of competitiveness of the entire national system compared to other European nations, which have been able to adapt their structures to the growing gigantism of container ships. Between 2025 and 2021, out of a total of 10.2 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) of net increase handled, 56% was concentrated in Dutch and Belgian ports, while 23% was in Spanish ports: in this context, the ports of the Upper Adriatic – including Koper and Rijeka, accounted for 4.1%. These growth limitations are also accompanied by weakness in integration with land transport, which has lagged behind the gradual shift eastward of the European production center. A critical node in this regard is represented by the Italian-Slovenian railway crossings, which account for only 5.2% of total commercial traffic between the two countries: a real bottleneck that hinders the development of transits, especially in terms of efficiency and sustainability, and which becomes evident when compared to the similar data in Italian-Swiss (70.5%) and Italian-Austrian (27.2%) traffic.
In light of these structural shortcomings, however, the strategic potential of the Upper Adriatic also emerges in light of the ongoing geopolitical events, which are disrupting established routes in the Mediterranean, starting with those to Suez and necessitating the search for alternatives. As noted by Paolo Costa, President of the Scientific Committee of VSF, among the three alternative corridors studied for crossing the Middle Eastern Levant, the most effective route passes through the ports of the Upper Adriatic, with a cost advantage of 7-10% compared to Genoa and 12-16% compared to Marseille.
To unlock this potential and restore the area’s international vocation, the discussions that emerged during the conference indicated that the establishment of a unified multi-port system among all five ports is the solution to attract major carriers back to the Adriatic. An integrated hub with its own governance to accompany the development of the ports as energy hubs for renewable energies and green hydrogen, starting from Porto Marghera.
“Ports, interports, and corridors are not just infrastructures: they are a strategic choice for the future of Venice, the Northeast, and Italy in the new European economic geography. The crises of global routes, the transformation of markets towards the East, the security of supply chains, and the competitiveness of businesses tell us that infrastructures are not simple works serving development, but essential tools of industrial, environmental policy, and international projection,” said Renato Brunetta, President of Venice Sustainability Foundation. “Venice, which for centuries has built its strength on the ability to connect sea, land, and markets, can return to being a European laboratory for this vision. The Upper Adriatic is not a periphery of the Mediterranean, but an advanced frontier of Europe towards the East and the world. For this reason, Venice Sustainability Foundation wanted to bring together institutions, operators, and expertise: because this ability to create a system is essential for the future competitiveness of the Northeast and Italy. Integrated infrastructures, connected territories, innovation, and sustainability are not just buzzwords, but the conditions to transform geographical rent into development, jobs, and a European role.”
“The Italian North East is today at a crossroads that presents it with a structural paradox. Its reference port area, that of the Upper Adriatic, is the closest to the center of economic Europe, yet its role is currently relegated to a dual condition of marginality that undermines the productive prosperity of its territory: the difficulty in allowing mega-ships to navigate up the Adriatic and the issue of railway crossing at the Italian-Slovenian border,” commented Paolo Costa, President of the Scientific Committee of Venice Sustainability Foundation. “The main way to convince major carriers to navigate up the Adriatic with mega container ships is to create a scale of activities by integrating the five ports of Ravenna, Venice, and Trieste, Koper, and Rijeka into a unified system with its own governance – with Venice serving as an enabling infrastructure for the western side along with Ravenna – capable of making the North East the gateway not only for Italy but for all of Europe to the world. On the railway front, however, the efficient crossing of the Italian-Slovenian border only requires six kilometers of railway between Trieste and Koper, with Trieste reaching Divaccia via Koper and Koper reaching Tarvisio via Trieste.”
“Today’s discussion confirmed that the European logistics and port system is undergoing a profound transformation, marked by geopolitical instability, climate crises, supply chain vulnerabilities, and rapid changes in international balances. In this scenario, ports can no longer be mere transit points for goods, but strategic infrastructures called to ensure continuity, resilience, and competitiveness for territories and production chains. As the Port System Authority, we believe it is essential to act on two fronts: strengthening institutional and industrial alliances and developing the multimodality of the logistics-port system. We must therefore focus on collaboration with the ports of the Upper Adriatic, enhancing their specificities, also within the framework of NAPA, alongside dialogue with interports, airports, and regional logistics hubs. At the same time, we are investing in infrastructure, digitalization, and sustainability. The European projects shared with other Adriatic ports, interventions on nautical accessibility, the enhancement of rail and road connections – for which investments exceeding 62 million euros are planned by 2026 – the development of the Montesyndial platform, and the opportunities offered by the ZLS are all necessary elements to make the Port System a multimodal hub serving Veneto, the Northeast, the Country, and Central Europe. The traffic results in 2025 confirm that integration and versatility are today decisive factors of competitiveness. Venice and Porto Marghera have demonstrated adaptability thanks to a unique industrial, logistical, and port system in the national landscape, with 1,442 companies and a generated value of 15 billion euros. On this basis, we will continue to work with operators, institutions, and European partners to strengthen the strategic role of the Upper Adriatic,” said Roberto Mantovanelli, General Director of the Port System Authority of the Northern Adriatic Sea – Ports of Venice and Chioggia.
“Today’s communication is fast, but we should instead get used to listening to long and structured speeches like that of Renato Brunetta, whom I thank for his commitment as President of the Foundation. A good analysis is the basis of a good project, and to achieve it, one must first know how to listen. Today’s topic — ports, interports, and corridors — is very relevant. The world is changing: wars, energy crises, trade tensions, instability of maritime routes, security of supplies, new balances towards the East. Venice and the Upper Adriatic must return to thinking as the gateway in and out of Europe. Not just as a transit point, but as an integrated system: port, airport, railway, highways, interports, digital, energy, industry, training. In recent years, we have worked precisely on this: reintegrating Venice into a metropolitan and international dimension. We have done this with actions, not words. The “strength of facts” is precisely this: a city that has not stopped, that has healed, invested, rebuilt trust, opened construction sites, created relationships, defended work, and sought new spaces for development. The corridor of the future is not only railway, port, or highway. It is also digital, so Venice can remain a city of knowledge, a campus city, a city of research, a city of artificial intelligence applied to the environment and the lives of people. Venice is not the end of a route. Venice is the beginning of a relationship. Towards the East, towards Europe, towards the Mediterranean, towards the future. And the mandate received from the citizens is clear: do not stop it and let it grow further,” said Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of the Municipality of Venice.
“The world has changed multiple times in recent years. We have learned not to take our supplies, our security, and our autonomy for granted. That is why the fact that today, in Venice, we are discussing these issues is a great source of satisfaction. It means that our territory is on the right path, having understood that only through infrastructure and investments can we compete globally in every scenario. A message that must resonate throughout Europe, because the maps of the world have changed and the global balances are no longer what we were used to. The competition among great powers, starting with the United States and China, requires us to prioritize the availability of resources, energy continuity, and the reliability of logistics networks. These factors determine the growth of territories, employment, innovation, the stability of businesses, and the solidity of production chains. In this scenario, the centrality of the port of Venice, the Mediterranean Corridor, and the connections looking towards India and the Indo-Pacific is fundamental. Rethinking the access points of Europe to the world – and the world to Europe – is a strategic priority, and Venice can play a leading role not only thanks to its sea but also due to the places and skills being developed here. New technologies, including those related to the security of underwater infrastructure, can and must be designed and produced using the excellences we already know we can rely on: Fincantieri, Leonardo, and an industrial system that represents a strategic value for Italy and for Europe. From this perspective, Porto Marghera can play a leading role in terms of national energy and industrial security. Venice is ready to do its part, with responsibility and with the awareness of the role it can and must play in the international landscape,” stated Simone Venturini, elected Mayor of the Municipality of Venice.
Photo credit by Wikipedia
