Interviewed by the Hungarian Magazine KözlekedésVilág, Pro Danube International's President, Mr. Herfried Leitner, discussed several aspects related to the challenges faced by IWT in terms of the EU's ambitious climate goals as stipulated in the European Green Deal and the difficulties faced by the industry in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.Mr. Leitner emphasized that Pro Danube, in its capacity as the representative of the Danube IWT sector, acts as a gateway between the industry and the EU as well as relevant national decision-making entities. With the EU's declared goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the transport system - with IWT being regarded as one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport - must undergo far-reaching changes and continuously adapt itself in a relatively short timeframe to new technologies in order to significantly reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting these objectives requires the continuous support of the IWT sector in order to be able to cope with these challenges. Mr. Leitner emphasized that greening techniques and the innovative pathway come with a huge cost. Hence, Pro Danube International offers the Danube IWT business community an organisational framework to address these challenges, serving its Members as a competence center for grants accession, consultancy, and project management.
The second topic touched upon by Mr. Leitner refers to the effects of the ongoing health crisis on the Danube IWT sector. Both cargo and passenger transportation was heavily affected, with the latter coming in 2020 to a complete standstill. Despite some drops in transported volumes, the year 2020 was not as dramatic as expected for cargo transportation.
Mr. Leitner concluded that both challenges - in terms of adaptation to climate neutrality and the COVID-19 pandemic - offer opportunities for the IWT industry to emerge strengthened and able to benefit from the coming upturn.
The interview is available here in Hungarian language.