Puertos del Estado and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport held a high-level working meeting today at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid. The meeting brought together Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and members of his executive team, alongside Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea.

Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado, and Eduard Rodés, Director of the Escola Europea, during their meeting at the headquarters of Puertos del Estado in Madrid.

The session focused on reinforcing institutional collaboration and advancing joint initiatives aimed at strengthening professional training, intermodal transport expertise, and innovation within the Spanish port system.

A central topic of discussion was the Open Trade Med project, an initiative designed to enhance capacity-building in international trade and port management across the Mediterranean region. The project is supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Union for the Mediterranean. As part of the collaboration, Puertos del Estado will contribute directly to the training delivered to personnel from participating Port Authorities under a formal cooperation framework to be signed in the coming months.

Both institutions also agreed to renew institutional support for the Escola’s long-standing maritime and rail intermodal transport courses, reinforcing their promotion throughout the Spanish port system and encouraging broader participation from port professionals.

In line with ongoing digital transformation processes in the sector, the meeting also explored the potential expansion of the Escola’s training programmes in Artificial Intelligence applied to port and logistics environments. Already delivered in Italy and Barcelona, these programmes could be extended to additional Spanish Port Authorities and to Puertos del Estado itself, adapting content to strategic and operational needs.

The discussion further highlighted collaboration within the framework of the Short Sea Shipping Promotion Centre (SPC Spain). Puertos del Estado participates in the Academic Council of the Escola through a designated representative, who also represents the institution within SPC Spain’s governing body. This partnership is further strengthened by the active involvement of Puertos del Estado professionals as lecturers in the Escola’s training programmes.

This meeting consolidates a stable and forward-looking partnership between both institutions, centred on knowledge development, technical capacity-building, and the modernisation of Spain’s port system.