TRIESTE – Positive outlook for the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone, despite the “countless negative variables that have affected the international scenario since 2022 and throughout 2023 and 2024.”

This is the message conveyed in the programmatic report by Donato Liguori, Commissioner of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, introducing the 2026 draft budget approved yesterday by the Management Committee overseeing the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone.

The financial document forecasts a 2026 management result showing a deficit of 256,395,913.82 euros, to be covered through the use of part of the restricted surplus from previous years (around 236 million), the 2025 surplus from confirmed funding allocations (5.3 million), and the estimated unrestricted surplus for 2025 (14.6 million). The administrative surplus as of 31 December 2026 is expected to stand at 15,914,649.87 euros.

In the programmatic report, which takes into account all major factors likely to affect the traffic of the two Friuli Venezia Giulia ports, the outlook for their main reference market (Central and Eastern Europe) remains overall stable, though slightly weaker than in previous analyses.
“The performance of Central and Eastern European economies, as shown by the latest Eurostat industrial production indices, has progressively aligned with that of Western economies,” the report notes.
Based on current macroeconomic data, “the strategic role of the ports of the North-Eastern Adriatic arc — particularly those of Trieste, Koper and Rijeka — appears to be consolidated,” confirming “the relevance of the Adriatic route as a preferred gateway to emerging European markets,” especially in trade relations with the Far East and Southeast Asia.

During the meeting of the Partnership Body — held ahead of the Management Committee session — discussions also focused on the appointment of a new Director to further develop the port of Monfalcone (where several improvement projects are pending), on personnel expenses within the Authority, and on regional contributions to the activities of its subsidiaries.