Isabelle Ryckbost
Secretary General of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) since 1/08/2013. Before taking up this function, Isabelle has been working as Director of the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) and Senior Advisor of ESPO for four years.
She studied Law (University of Namur and KULeuven) and European Law (UCL Louvain). Before joining EFIP, she worked in EU Public Affairs for almost 20 years. After a short period at the European Commission (DG Agriculture), she worked in an EU Public Affairs consultancy. In 1994 she started working in the European Parliament, as a political assistant and between 1999 and 2009 she was the political assistant of Dirk Sterckx, where she was mainly active in transport and port-related fields. She is co-author of the handbook “Zo Werkt Europa” (1st edition 2007, 2nd edition 2010, 3rd edition 2015).
Contact info
- Website:
- www.espo.be
NewsEXCLUSIVE: Driving a comprehensive EU port strategy
The strategy will address the foreign influence in strategic port infrastructure in Europe
NewsEXCLUSIVE: Can Europe better combine ambition with pragmatism?
Isabelle Ryckbost wants to see the European Commission combining ambition and realism
NewsEXCLUSIVE: The green transition forces more cooperation
European ports are collaborating more than ever to ports are collaborating to realise the green transition
NewsEXCLUSIVE: European ports €80 billion investment need
Infrastructure needs for European ports have nearly doubled in six years
NewsEXCLUSIVE: The implementation and competitiveness challenge
EXCLUSIVE: How will shipping implement all the new emissions regulation coming into force?
NewsUnifying the way we all count emissions
Europe is looking to unify the way that freight and passenger transport and hubs count emissions
NewsPorts in the race to net-zero
Europe has been focusing on its Green Deal ambition to make the EU the first net zero continent
NewsSetting course for a new year
How do you start a new year with new intentions, ambitions and strategies in a world full of uncertainties?
NewsNever waste a good crisis
Since the beginning of 2020 we are experiencing world crises most of us would have considered before as unrealistic and never to happen again.
NewsEmission trading system - will it be effective?
As part of the Fit for 55-package published in July last year, the Commission issued a proposal to include emissions from maritime in the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS).
NewsTowards a sustainable TEN-T policy
The European Commission has put another ambitious package on the table while we are still in the process of assessing the full implications of Fit-for-55, says Isabelle Ryckbost, secretary general, ESPO.
NewsCall for FuelEU clarity
European ports want coherent legislation on provision and use of clean energy infrastructure for ports.
NewsCreating green energy hubs
The EU Commission has published a whole series of proposals for Europe to reach a 55% emission reduction by 2030.
NewsMaking the EU fit for 55
If all goes well, on 14 July we will not only be commemorating the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille in 1789, but also be bearing witness to a green revolution in Europe.
NewsOnshore power supply where it makes sense
In the 2019 European Parliament, Vice President Timmermans clearly voiced his intention to tackle shipping emissions at berth in ports.
NewsFrom Green Deal to green recovery?
In the last edition of the Greenport magazine I shared ESPO’s view on the Green Deal with you, but then just when these unprecedented EU ambitions to fight climate change were put forward, Covid-19 happened.
NewsThe best green deal for ports?
The “Green Deal” will be one, if not the biggest priority of the European Commission under President Von der Leyen and here I’ll discuss why.
NewsMore efficiency, less emissions?
Shipping will have to reduce its CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2050. The IMO agreement agreed in April of this year has been considered by many policy makers and many stakeholders, including the ports, as a real milestone.
NewsRegulating ships’ waste
A new port facilities directive should lead to more efficient but responsible management of waste from ships.
NewsEnvironmental priorities of European ports
Since 1996, the European port sector has been monitoring, through the EcoPorts network, the main environmental concerns of port authorities in Europe.
