In a meeting between the President of the Port Authority of Pasaia (APP), Izaskun Goñi, and MEP Oihane Agirregoitia, strategic topics such as the development of the Atlantic Corridor and the improvement of the port's railway connections were addressed.
Goñi emphasized the significance of the Atlantic Corridor and the railway network's development for enhancing Pasaia's connectivity and promoting more efficient and sustainable freight transport. This would also strengthen the position of Atlantic arc ports within Europe and advance transport decarbonization goals.
Another subject discussed was the Atlantic Macroregion project. This initiative aims to articulate a shared vision to tackle common challenges such as rail and energy connections, ports, marine renewable energies, industry, fishing, research, the blue economy, and climate change adaptation.
Agirregoitia, a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism, has been actively promoting this Macroregion in Brussels. For the APP, fostering greater cooperation among Atlantic territories would reinforce its standing in Europe and better leverage the existing complementarities between their infrastructures.
The MEP, as rapporteur for the Committee on Transport on the new Connecting Europe Facility for the 2028-2034 period, advocated for community funding to consider the strategic role of all ports, including medium and small ones, specifically mentioning Pasaia as an infrastructure to be included in this process.
The visit also included a tour of the Pasaia fishing market (lonja). Agirregoitia, who serves as a substitute member of the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries, gained firsthand insight into the relevance of the fishing sector for Pasaia, at a time when European institutions are addressing the future of the Common Fisheries Policy, activity sustainability, and the development of a sustainable blue economy.
The APP also presented various projects linked to the blue economy being developed in the port area, initiatives aimed at generating new economic activity and moving towards a more innovative and sustainable port model by leveraging marine knowledge, innovation, and capabilities.
