THE PROJECT

APICE: Common Mediterranean strategy and local practical Actions for the mitigation of Port, Industries and Cities Emissions

 Harbours represent a significant potential for the economic development all over the Med basin, but they also have a potential negative environmental impact due to multiple emission sources. The presence of competing activities in coastal areas can lead to potential conflicts which need to be managed by the institutional actors.

APICE - a project financed by the European program for territorial Cooperation MED 2007/2013 (www.programmemed.eu) - intends to develop a knowledge-based approach for air pollution mitigation and sustainable development of port activities, managed by spatial planning policies at local level, which includes the territory around the ports.

The inter-comparison of data acquired in five different Pilot Areas (Venice, Genoa, Barcelona, Marseille and Thessaloniki) will allow the validation of a common model for building intervention scenario, whose effectiveness and practicability will be tested within the project.

The project's measures will be delivered to policymakers to integrate existing urban master plans and port investments, and to trigger possible eco-financing incentives, in order to:

• Merge environmental and socio-economic needs of port-cities policies

• Support eco-friendly changes in shipping practices and ownership of shared emission abatements options (e.g. Blue flag etc...) by the involved port.

On the base of scenarios and economic-assessed options, APICE will push port authorities, ship owners and cargo's handlers towards voluntary agreements that can concretely contribute, in the medium term, at reducing emissions and improve the environmental balance of port cities.

APICE is highly replicable, as its achievements are scalable & customizable.