OpenLobby.EU
Explore

via donau - Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH

viadonau

viadonau ist eine Tochtergesellschaft des Bundesministeriums für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie der Republik Österreich, zuständig für den Betrieb und die Entwicklung der Wasserstraße Donau in Österreich.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Navigation And Inland Waterway Action and Development in Europe (NAIADES) III Action Plan 2021-2027

15 Jan 2021

via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft very much welcomes the initiative of the European Commission towards the creation of the Navigation And Inland Waterway Action and Development in Europe (NAIADES) III Action Plan 2021-2027. The need for such an action plan was already underlined in Council Conclusions that were drawn under the Austrian Presidency in November 2018 and has become all the more important after the publication of the European Green Deal in 2019, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in 2020 as well as the Covid-19 crisis in the last year. Inland waterway transport can contribute significantly to the achievement of the Green Deal goals in the mobility area and has proven to be a resilient mode of transport with reliable supply chains in times of the Covid-19 outbreak. In order to exploit the benefits offered by inland waterway transport in Europe a number of key challenges will need to be overcome. As indicated in the roadmap as well as in the mentioned Council Conclusions, these challenges include the establishment of proper infrastructure conditions along major transport corridors (while respecting the applicable environmental law), an implementation strategy for fleet modernisation and decarbonisation, human resources development including fair social conditions, an implementation strategy for digitalisation, general measures to improve the competitiveness of the sector, as well as the increased integration and interoperability with other modes of transport. Based on these major challenges, we see a clear need for a dedicated follow-up programme to NAIADES II that is developed and implemented in close cooperation with Member States, river commissions and other relevant stakeholders. In order to facilitate its efficient and effective implementation, supporting and coordination projects shall be initiated, further research projects in this area shall be enabled, the further development of common rules and standards shall be pursued and generally the availability of appropriate financial means to implement the NAIADES III actions shall be safeguarded.
Read full response