Brussels, 18/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Siim Kallas is still firmly set on his objective of significantly increasing inland navigation market share. Nonetheless, this is a huge project because many challenges need to be met to make inland navigation routes more effective: infrastructure, improved connection with other road transport, greening the fleet, etc. The European commissioner for transport did not expand on the question of financial resources but did not exclude improving current legislation and concluding agreements with organisations active in this field.
At a conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday 17 January, organised by the Central Commission for Rhine Navigation, Kallas was quick to describe the 5% market share of inland navigation as “unimpressive”. The commissioner supports the Commission's White Paper published last year, which calls for inland navigation routes to become more competitive and attractive so that waterborne and rail sectors can absorb a 50% shift of medium-distance intercity passenger and freight traffic from roads by 2050.
Investment is indispensable if infrastructure is to be improved and port quality levels needs to be harmonised throughout the Union, as disparities have been exposed between the east and west with regard to equipment, productivity, facilities and management. More particularly, improvements will be needed in the area of transhipment and storage in the east and port capacity in northern Europe. The following stage will involve improving correspondence between inland ports and other modes of transport such as rail and road. These goals are fully acknowledged by the Commission in the new interpretation of the Trans-European Transport Network (RTE-T), which sees inland waterways as being integral to the future central network for transport.
The commissioner does not ignore the environmental advantages of inland navigable transport but also considers that the sector has to do better if it wants to maintain its advantage over road transport. Engines are still very often inefficient, without even mentioning the question of fuel. On the question of “greening” the fleet, the commissioner even referred to the use of liquefied natural gas. The Commission has already examined the issue of supply infrastructure (see EUROPE 10531).
Kallas, however, is remaining circumspect on the question of funding all the different investments required and simply underlines that “we will have to make the fullest use of the different new funding instruments under the next budget period”. He also mentioned the possibility of new legislation for improving the situation when the sector is not performing well and would like to promote cooperation between the different organisations active in this field. He has not ruled out that certain aspects of this cooperation could be included in the Commission's remit, in an effort to improve the division of the tasks that need to be carried out. The Central Commission for Rhine Navigation could be part of this initiative. (MD/transl.fl)