Dutch MEP Caroline Nagtegaal (Renew Europe) will present a draft resolution to the European Parliament’s Transport Committee on 14 April calling for investment in the development of inland waterway transport. The sector is too little considered, according to her (see EUROPE 12618/13), despite its advantages - particularly environmental ones.
Nagtegaal therefore expects the EU to support this mode of transport politically and, even more so, financially. Her draft resolution calls for the European Commission to set up a European fund dedicated to inland navigation. This could operate as a “one-stop-shop system that is easily accessible for help” allowing “projects to be combined into a single application, thus increasing the chances of funding”.
The MEP says that this fund could be financed by the reserve funds created in each Member State to deal with possible serious disruptions or by national contributions and could be associated with the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF - see EUROPE 12677/3) and with the Structural and Cohesion Funds, she suggests.
In terms of funding, Nagtegaal also stressed the “need” to mobilise the CEF, the Structural and Cohesion Funds, and the funds available under the Horizon Europe research framework programme to finance “investments in alternative fuels and adequate ships and infrastructure”.
She also points out that the inland navigation sector consists mainly of SMEs, family businesses, and small ports, for which it is not easy to make costly investments.
As regards the nature of the investments needed, the draft resolution focuses on the need to modernise river and canal infrastructure - locks, digital technologies, etc.
It also points to other necessary developments, such as in the field of education and training in inland navigation and the digitalisation and automation of the sector.
To consult the project: https://bit.ly/3dshfWA (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)