Brussels, 09/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - On the strength of comments from stakeholders on the second Naiades programme for supporting inland navigation, MEPs on the parliamentary transport committee focused, on Thursday 9 January, on the lack of consistency in the network of inland waterways. The chairman of the committee, Brian Simpson (S&D, UK) said during the mini hearing that it was necessary to make this mode of transport a priority. The Dutch Conservative member, Peter Van Dalen, took the view that river transport was the “poor relation” of European policy. Dominique Riquet (EPP, France) and Adriana Ticau (S&D, Romania) urged a coherent inland navigation system linking the Rhine, the Meuse, the Danube and the Black Sea. Gésine Meisner (ALDE, Germany) highlighted the attractiveness of the professions in this sector. (MD/transl.jl)