ABOUT ME
Román Eguinoa de San Román
Specialist in Public Law, in the field of Port Law, Coastal Management and Public Domain. University Professor.
My professional and academic career focuses on the comprehensive analysis, governance, and management of the maritime-port sector and coastal areas. My specialization encompasses the legal and management complexities that characterize the public maritime-terrestrial domain, combining rigorous scientific research with practical knowledge of the sector.
Areas of Specialization and Research:
• Port and port infrastructure governance: Port administration, especially operation and decision-making; management, operation and legal regime of the port public domain (concessions, authorizations, maritime terminals for goods and passengers, marinas, etc.) and of port services (licenses, pilotage, port towing, mooring and unmooring, etc.) and economic regime (port taxes, tariffs)
• Maritime-terrestrial public domain: management, exploitation and legal and economic regime of occupations of the maritime-terrestrial public domain.
• Sustainability and strategic transition: green ports, decarbonization, impact of new environmental regulations.
• Multi-level legal framework: Community law, state legislation and regional legislation, local regulations.
Academic and professional focus:
I combine advanced research with high-level legal consulting. My aim is to provide clarity, certainty, and strategic solutions to operators in these sectors or companies wishing to enter them, addressing the regulatory and practical complexities of coastal and port areas, and transforming legal knowledge into a secure and competitive advantage for my clients.
Professional and Academic Career
- Lawyer specializing in public law, in the field of port law and coastal management (2019 – Present).
- Independent legal advice and representation for economic operators in the public port domain, both state and regional, and the state maritime-terrestrial public domain. Specialization in concessions (granting procedures, modification – expansion of scope, extensions of term, etc. –, termination – redemption, mutual agreement, declaration of expiration, etc. – transitional regimes, issues arising in ordinary interaction with the managing administration, settlement of port fees) and port service provision licenses.
- Independent legal advice and representation for port authorities. Specialization in decision-making, relations with regulatory bodies, etc.
- Secretary General of the Port Authority of Barcelona (last stage of a 30-year career in the sector).
- From May 1, 2009, to March 31, 2019, I served as Secretary General and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Barcelona (portdebarcelona.cat/es). As the entity’s highest-ranking legal officer, I was specifically responsible for ensuring the formal and substantive legality of the Board’s resolutions, overseeing and/or intervening in the legal aspects of matters within the Port Authority’s purview: port public domain (concessions and authorizations), port services (licenses), port fees, maximum tariffs, tenders, public procurement (works, supplies, services), agreements, and relations with oversight and auditing bodies (IGAE, Court of Auditors, etc.), advisory bodies (Council of State), and regulators (CNMC, etc.). This provided me with direct experience in decision-making at the highest level within such a significant public company.
- Lawyer and legal advisor to the Port Authority of Barcelona (previous stage to becoming general secretary).
- During the period 1-2-1991 to 30-4-2009, after a year as a lawyer in the Port 2000 Urban Planning Management, I was a legal advisor and lawyer, first of the Autonomous Port of Barcelona and then of the Port Authority of Barcelona, specializing in the areas of Contracting and Port Operation.
- Doctor of Administrative Law and University Professor.
- On September 7, 2004, I defended my doctoral thesis in Administrative Law, entitled “The Management of Port Public Domain,” directed by the Professor of Administrative Law, Dr. Rafael Entrena Cuesta. It received the highest distinction, “summa cum laude.”
- Since 2019 I have been teaching Administrative Law at the International University of Catalonia, where I am an associate professor.
Publications and Scientific Production
My scientific work focuses on the advanced study of the legal regime of ports of general interest, port services and the coastline.
Featured Books and Monographs:
The management of ports of general interest, ISBN 978-84-92788-74-3. Editorial Atelier, Barcelona 2012.
Community law and ports of general interest, ISBN 978-84-16652-54-9, Editorial Atelier, Barcelona, 2017.
The European Ports Regulation and its impact on the sector (Mr. Knut Fleckenstein, Ricardo Alonso Soto, Bartomeu Trias Prats, Francisco Javier Jiménez de Cisneros Cid, Roberto Ignacio Fernández López, Ángel Mato Adrover, Juan Ramón García Notario, Andrés M. González Sanfiel, Francisco José Villar Rojas, Román Eguinoa de San Román, Dr. Kai-Dieter Classen, LL.M., Frans van Zoelen), ISBN 978-84-17466-41-1, Editorial Atelier, Barcelona 2019.
Recent Scientific Articles:
Subrogation in Spanish dock work: final chapter? TRANSPORT LAW JOURNAL 2025 (36).
Le Project de loi espagnole pour la protection et la gestion du littoral valencien, LE DROIT MARITIME FRANÇAIS, 2025 (879).
The Coastal Law and the (new) regional powers of management of the state public domain GENERAL JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW 2024 (67).
The management of ports of general interest from the perspective of Community competition law: in particular the granting and modification of port concessions. STUDIES IN HOMAGE TO PROFESSOR FRANCISCO JAVIER JIMÉNEZ DE CISNEROS CID2026 | Book Chapter
Access to the Complete Catalog:
To consult the historical and detailed list of all my publications, you can access my researcher record https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8112-9036 .