Posted on July 17, 2024
Brussels – A 90 million euro financing agreement was signed today in Livorno by Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Luciano Guerrieri, President of the Port Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, in the presence of the President of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani, the Mayor of Livorno Luca Salvetti and the Commander of the Port of Livorno Gaetano Angora. The objective is to support the modernization and expansion of the Port of Livorno, helping to increase its productivity, safety, and environmental sustainability.
The resources made available by the EIB for the expansion of the Port of Livorno, part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor of the TEN-T network, will contribute to the construction of the Darsena Europa, a strategic project to accommodate ships already operating in international traffic to ensure the competitiveness of the Port, and safety of navigation there. In detail, the main interventions concern the construction of new breakwaters and related dredging activities, the definition of a containment area for dredging activities, and the construction of a new access channel to the Port’s terminals.
These infrastructure interventions will not only help improve the efficiency and safety of the Port but also increase its resilience to potential future climate events, such as sea level rise. They will also help improve the stability of the coastline thanks to the construction of a sand pipeline used for the future nourishment of the sandy coast located immediately north of the mouth of the Arno River floodway.
With this investment, the EIB’s total support for Italian ports exceeds 1.5 billion euros, strengthening the European Union bank’s role as the main financier of Italy’s Port Authorities, a vital sector for connectivity and economic development at the national and European level.
“This agreement further strengthens the EIB’s commitment to supporting the expansion of Italian ports, which are key to fostering the country’s connectivity and competitiveness,” said Gelsomina Vigliotti, EIB Vice-President. “The financing announced today will help make the Port of Livorno a leading-edge hub of reference in the Mediterranean, improving its infrastructure, increasing its operational capacity, and promoting technological innovation and environmental sustainability in the port sector.”
“We are very proud of today’s signature,” stressed the President of the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Luciano Guerrieri. “his agreement not only demonstrates how involved the leading EU financial institution is in the development of the Tuscan port but also indicates the strategic value of the Darsena Europa project, which the government and the Tuscany Region have acknowledged by giving full political and financial support to its implementation,” he added.
