The National Strategic Plan for Ports and Logistics (PSNPL) released by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport sets the priorities and activities at a national level, to optimize the added value of the sea, meant as a resource for the marine, port and logistics cluster, and for the entire economy of our Country.

The Plan is meant to empower the transport sector and the general Euro-Mediterranean policies, in synergy with the priorities set by the European Union. In particular, it includes and supports the With Paper 2011 directives, which highlight the importance of investing in:

• sustainable transport modes
• completing the infrastructure and connecting networks
• the implementation of transport and logistics systems, including the new technologies

Among the several action lines set by the PSNPL, three can be considered central.

The first concerns the infrastructure works, to be scheduled according to the crucial principles of:

• environmental, economic and social sustainability
• intermodal transport enhancement, by connecting the road, rail, air and water infrastructures
• promotion of the interconnectivity, by creating “last-mile” connections between the TEN-T corridors and the core hubs, as well as towards the Southern coast Countries
• implementation of the transport network with the telecommunications and energy networks, also through interventions supported by public/private partners

The second fundamental action line set by the PSNPL is the de-bureaucratization of the logistics chain. By simplifying the customs operations and consequently reducing the time needed for administration and operational procedures, Italian ports can become as efficient as those of the other Member States.

Finally, the Plan highlights the need to foresee the international market trends, by supporting Italian companies in a stronger, more audacious way, and providing them the integrated, efficient logistics corridors through which dealing with the Countries that have interests in investing in this sector (e.g., Iran, Turkey, Arab Emirates and the States on the Black Sea).