On 15 and 16  May, ESPO – European Sea Port Organisation – is inviting its members, all interested stakeholders and policy makers to come to Gothenburg for the 11th edition of its annual conference, which will be organised in cooperation with the port of Gothenburg. As from today, participants can register online via the conference website.This year’s conference theme is “Level Playing Field”. The conference aims at giving some more substance to this concept by looking how ports compete at different levels, which factors determine competition, which factors can undermine fair competition. The conference also wants to assess how the competitiveness of a port can be challenged by different elements on which ports have no leverage and to investigate on the contrary how  they can play a role in keeping industry in Europe. In every session, panellists will go in direct dialogue with the ports. In the final debate both ports and European policy makers will discuss the role of policy in enhancing the level playing field and will hopefully answer the basic question of this conference: a level playing field between ports: a must or a myth?

The conference will finally be the occasion for the European Sea Ports Organisation to present to EU policymakers and election candidates its memorandum for the European elections.

The conference is taking place in the wonderful Clarion Hotel Post, located in Gothenburg’s beautiful Old Post Office.