Shipping is regarded as one of the most environmentally friendly transport modes. On the other hand, there are also considerable risks related to the increasing maritime traffic. The aim of New Hansa was to identify and create sound environmental practices and policies for ports and cities. Reducing air emissions and noise, and managing waste and waste water, were in focus for the analyses and exchange of good experiences carried out within the project partnership consisting mainly of ports and port cities from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Poland.The White Paper on Transports states, environmental, health issues and competition regarding the right of use of land, water and air. The Community's answer cannot be just to build new infrastructure and create new shipping services. The maritime transport system needs to be optimized to meet the demands of enlargement and sustainable development. The project "New Hansa of Sustainable Ports and Cities" accepts this mandate. It is aimed at achieving concrete solutions to concrete problems in the field of conflict between ports, cities, shipping, citizens and the environment. Most of the port cities and adjacent tourism areas are heavily molested by increasing air emissions, huge amounts of waste & waste waters originating from ships. Ship owners are willing to invest in new technologies if there was one common system in all Baltic ports. However they fear that their investments would be in vain due to regulations differing from port to port. This is particularly the case with ferries and Ro-Ro-Ships but also increasingly for container vessels-Therefore the project endeavors at harmonizing infrastructures, practices, planning, policies and legislation. All problems addressed call for integrated and harmonious solutions to be developed in close co-operation of ports, port cities, ship owners and stakeholders. This has been reflected in the partnership of 16 EU and 1 PHARE partners."Maritime transport is a key factor in modern economics. However, there is a permanent contradiction between industry, demanding ever more transport capacity, and public opinion which is becoming increasingly intolerant of conflicts between economic, social and environmental issues. Therefore, a very concrete outcome will be the pilot installation of a 10 KV "shore-to-ship power supply facility which will decrease unnecessary fuel consumption and air emissions.On the strategic level an extremely important outcome will be a joint policy document - the Baltic Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Ports (MoU). Wide commitment to this policy paper will be sought among cities, ports and other stakeholders through the Union of the Baltic Cities (102 members). In practice the project has 4 work packages. Work packages 1-3 analyze socio-economic, social, environmental, spatial impacts and information on national, European and international legal frameworks and best practices. These work packages will culminate in work package 4, in which joint strategies, policies and commitments for implementation will be developed. The impacts of the project are further ensured by targeted dissemination of progress and results and continuous liaison with stakeholders and policy makers. Achievements: The most important outcome of the project was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between 15 of the participating ports, port cities, shipping companies and other stakeholders. The memorandum is a voluntary agreement providing a basis for development of joint environmental practices in ports. A number of good practices on management of air quality, solid waste and waste water are included in an Annex to the memorandum. By signing the memorandum, the signatories committed themselves to reduce air emissions and to harmonize their procedures for management of waste and waste water. Representatives of the shipping industry signing the memorandum agree on using the best available technology for reducing emissions to air and water.Several methods can be used in order to decrease the emissions of ships to the air. Development of shore-to-ship power supply systems for ships staying in ports was identified by the project as one major method to decrease the emissions. Such a system was further developed by New Hansa and actively marketed to ports and shipping companies in the Baltic Sea region.All the signatories will report every second year about the implementation of the measures taken, and a first follow up conference is planned to be held in Stockholm in 2007. Among the proposed measures to be implemented are, for instance, new technologies and economic incentives such as environmentally differentiated harbour dues.