Annual meeting of spain’s state-owned port system
- Secretary of State José Antonio Santano opens the meeting, accompanied by Puertos del Estado Chairman Gustavo Santana.
22 September 2026 (Puertos del Estado). Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility José Antonio Santano today opened the annual meeting of Puertos del Estado and the Port Authorities, being held today and tomorrow at the Port of Avilés to advance key issues aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Spain’s state-owned port system.
The Secretary of State was accompanied by Gustavo Santana, Chairman of Puertos del Estado, and Santiago Rodríguez, Chairman of the Port Authority of Avilés. During the meeting, they reaffirmed their commitment to decarbonisation and digitalisation, backed by significant investment aimed at optimising and modernising the infrastructure of Spain’s port network. It is worth noting that planned investment for 2027 amounts to more than €1.5 billion across the port system as a whole, rising to more than €7 billion through 2030.
The meeting of the chairpersons and directors of Puertos del Estado and the state-owned port system addressed, among other issues, progress on key matters such as the European Union’s ongoing review of the Emissions Directive and the findings of the EU ETS Observatory launched by Puertos del Estado, which warn of potential unintended effects on port competitiveness. Other topics included port protection plans, the international projection of Spanish ports, and, in particular, the creation of an Ibero-American Ports Forum..