The European Commission considers that the main challenges facing ports are related to market access in ports (which in practice means that the key issues are the industrial relations practices in ports). In a sense, most of the identified issues in the 2012 EU Ports Policy Review have to do with enhancing competitiveness whilst maintaining or increasing the social protection of port workers. In this article, the focus is on the uneven implementation of market access initiatives in Spain's ports. Following the ECJ's decision in December 2014 that Spain is in breach of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU in relation to port handling activities, the article assesses the key actors in opposing such implementation, primarily the main labour union in Spain's ports, La Coordinadora Estatal de Trabajadores del Mar, and its ability to successfully mobilise transnational European solidarity.