On Friday 20 November, the German Presidency of the Council of the EU once again brought together EU Transport Ministers for a themed conference (see EUROPE 12534/11, 12564/18), which was devoted this time to inland waterway transport and, in particular, inland freight transport.
Echoing the maritime transport conference held last September (see EUROPE 12555/12), the new meeting was intended to provide an opportunity for Ministers to discuss possible measures at a European level with a view to achieving environmentally and climate-friendly inland waterway transport.
Achieving clean inland waterway navigation “depends most of all on the vessel, but also on the infrastructure”, Achim Wehrmann, head of shipping at the German Ministry of Transport, told the press, while also emphasising the potential brought about by digital transformation in this respect.
“A dedicated inland waterway vessel can replace up to 150 lorries”, he pointed out, adding that freight carried on inland waterways represents an energy saving of around 65% compared to road freight transport, and 35% compared to rail freight.
Although no specific decisions were taken at the end of the conference, Mr Wehrmann said that a letter summarising the ministers’ conclusions will be sent to the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)