Vilport – “Ports, Rivers and Hinterlands, Emporium of the Occident” a Project and its Results: A New Configuration of Relations between Port and Hinterland in the North West of Europe since the 1950s

Ports and Rivers as gateways The first step of this project was a long standing academic dynamic called « Ces chers voisins » initiated in 2002 through a European project. It has produced a series of conferences, workshops and publications since 2006. It is within the context of « Ces chers voisins » that a new project entitled « Ports et fleuves » (Ports and Rivers) has been conceived. As its name indicates, it aims to include an economic component which plays a central role in the GDP of the countries considered, within the melting pot of cultures that are a result and a driving force at the same time. The project is sponsored by Jean Monnet Action : Information and research activities, and coordinated by CEHEC (University Catholic of Louvain). It has been displayed namely during a conference on Seaports in Hamburg, March 2014.