In the past shelters for ships in iniquity, harbours true port places consisting of industrialo-port zones became. Doors were opened on the world, harbours are in the middle of the trades of States and constitute a not negligible trump in the foreign trade of these. Different laws and port reforms led the French legislator and the port actors to refocus the missions of each within the port place so that our harbours achieve the challenge of the competition imposed by our neighbours of the Benelux notably, and also answer the environmental pressures which Europe imposes on harbours. In France, harbours always have were considered to be utility with a duality which was translated by an administrative service for regalian missions and an industrial and commercial service for the more commercial missions. The French vision of the port public service appears since then outdated and France owes adapt to a harmonization of the management of its harbours in European norms. The reform of 2008 transferred tools to private firms, allowing the harbours to reorganize itself around development and management. It is necessary to consider the harbour as in the center of the chain of the commercial transport and an integrated management of these last appears necessary, implicating a development of our harbours side earths up, with of the Earth, fluvial and rail services which will be an answer to competition. The multimodality of harours is a working which France must set up and is under way of building, with a catch in count of environmentin the middle of every plan. France disposes big facede coastal region here not much or badly exploited. Port policy begins becoming one of the preferences of the national leaders and will allow in France of (re)to find itsmaritime vocation which for the time being too much for a long time ignored.
The management of harbours by a public entity : European and environmental aspects