DC Secretariat participates in the Green Inland Ports Final Conference (Vienna, Austria)
On 26–27 November 2025, the Director General of the DC Secretariat, Mr. Manfred Seitz, and Mr. Dejan Trifunovic, Counsellor, took part in the Green Inland Ports Final Conference, organised by thinkport VIENNA. Around 50 participants attended the conference, with IWT experts from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova also present as part of a study trip to Austria and Slovakia organised by the TCT Secretariat.
The DC Secretariat has been actively involved since the launch of the GRIP project in 2023, which brings together ten ports across Europe, on the Danube, Drava and Black Sea, with four ports also participating in the pilot phase of the project (Port of Vienna, Port of Constanta, Port of Vukovar and Port of Osijek). The conference featured keynote speeches from the European Commission (DG MOVE), the European Barge Union (EBU) and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, as well as the Danube Commission Secretariat. In their statements, the keynote speakers emphasized the importance of cooperation between inland ports for reaching their environmental sustainability goals.
The panel discussions involving the pilot port representatives focused on sharing experiences on the use of Environmental and Sustainable Management System tools, and included an in-depth discussion on the Environmental Impact Calculator for ports. Stakeholders shared insights from across Europe on how inland ports can measure, manage, and accelerate their sustainability process.
The second day of the conference addressed the Digitalisation Masterplan for Inland Ports and Terminals and modal shift potential for short-range freight IWT in the EU. The session highlighted how digitalisation and the DMAT tool can drive greener, more efficient, and future-ready inland ports fully aligned with the EU’s IWT Digitalisation Vision. The concluding remarks delivered by Mr. Seitz and project manager Mr. Tanis (Ecorys) on a very positive note, reflecting a strong commitment to the sector’s sustainable and digital future.
- Closing Statement of Manfred Seitz, Director-General Danube Commission Secretariat
