The increase in SEE shipping traffic has raised critical issues concerning the environmental quality of coasts and sea water, above all due to the lack of shared environmental policy. ECOPORT 8 aims to improve the quality of ports, placing the prevention of pollution and preservation of natural resources in port areas and nearby coastal zones as pivotal to the maritime system. The project is to carry out studies, tests and provide services, attempting to define the basis for environmental port certification. Such actions are to take into account the productive needs of ports and EU and national standards in force and create pilot monitoring systems. ECOPORT involves PAN-EU corridor 8 ports, integrating existing international dialogue on developments in maritime traffic docking in ports, with a common environmental policy aimed at defining shared standards. In this way it is possible to guarantee the overcoming of non-physical barriers and develop healthy and eco-sustainable competition ECOPORT 8 is divided into 6 Work Packages (WP). Each partner plays a coordination role (Cr) in the WPs or activities: project preparation (Cr Poliba); Transnational project management (Cr Poliba); Communication and Dissemination (Cr Universus) specific activities; Cr PSP, DurresPA, GEOECOMAR, BPICo; PAN EU Forum (Cr PSP) among territorial stakeholders (decision/policy makers); Context analysis (Cr IWP BAS): standards analysis (Cr UPT); planning and monitoring doc. Analysis (Cr Poliba); SWOT analysis and final comparative report; Testing: Monitoring surveys on site (Cr. BIOKOTOR): Choice of tools (Cr BarHCPA), definition of monitoring procedure; Planning monitoring network and data processing in 3 ports; fixed apparatus installation in key pilot sites and analysis (Cr BariPA); integrated webGIS (Cr PSP); Construction of eco-sustainable model for PAN-EU corridor ports (Cr GEOECOMAR): common shared guidelines; Capacity Building (Cr Universus); final protocol among PPs (Cr IWPBAS). Achievements: • Context analysis of regulatory framework and environmental measures in sea ports of Pan-European Corridor VIII including SWOT• Eco-guide for sea ports• Handbook summarising ECOPORT8 experience including test site surveys• Monitoring plan to help assess environmental impact of sea port activitiesFor more information see:http://www.southeast-europe.net/en/projects/approved_projects/?id=62