Brussels, 07/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the Transport Council in Luxembourg on Thursday 7 June, ministers from the countries neighbouring on the Danube agreed that infrastructure maintenance on the river should be reinforced so that river navigation would no longer be blocked, as was the case last autumn.
Transport ministers from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia signed a declaration whereby they undertake to ensure river channels are kept in a good state of maintenance and to ensure that inland waterways are not blocked under any circumstances, for example due to weather conditions (drought, freeze, etc). Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina also gave their support to the declaration and Hungary is expected to sign up to it at a later date although it hopes to discuss the terms further.
This is the first time that transport ministers from these countries have met to discuss the issue. The complete blockage of the Danube last October prompted the relevant authorities to take action. For 38 days, the water level of the Danube was too low for shipping. European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas recalled that the situation had “caused more than €6 million worth of losses. Interruptions to shipping on the Danube can be avoided by better maintenance, better communication and better monitoring. Today's declaration is an excellent step forward.” Furthermore, inland navigation that can be interrupted at any moment, for whatever reason, does not send out a very good signal to those transporting freight to use that kind of transport, although the Commission does support inland navigation because of its environmental advantages.
Johannes Hahn, European Regional Development Commissioner, said the Danube is a “vital artery” through the region. The Danube, he said, has the “potential to help boost jobs and growth. Predictable conditions for shipping are essential to build confidence in this competitive and environmentally-friendly form of transport.” Hahn is soon to meet the Hungarian minister for infrastructure to discuss Hungary's outstanding concerns regarding the declaration by countries bordering on the Danube. (MD/transl.jl)