News

The Platform for the implementation of a future inland navigation action programme PLATINA3 has officially kicked-off on the 8^th of February 2021. This project aims to improve impact and broadening stakeholder engagement in support of transport research and innovation under the EU Horizon 2020 programme. For a period of 30 months the project partners provide targeted coordination and support activities to promote Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) in Europe.

PLATINA3 therefore addresses four priority topics for the success of IWT: (1) integration and digitalization of IWT in view of modal shift and synchro modality, (2) zero emission, automated and climate resilient fleet, (3) skilled workforce anticipating to zero-emission & automation, and (4) smart & climate resilient waterway and port infrastructure with clean energy hubs. PLATINA3 is structured around thematic fields Market, Fleet, Jobs & Skills and Infrastructure. Key experts and stakeholders are consortium partners ensuring required expertise and support: IWT sector and shippers (IWT Platform, BLN, ESC), member states and river commissions (CCNR, DC), waterway administrations (INE, viadonau), education institutes (STC, MAH), Waterborne TP (Sea Europe), workers (ETF), expertise centres (PDM and EICB).

On the 7^th and 8^th of April, the PLATINA3 consortium is organizing the first STAGE event in a series of six international meetings, which will be hosted online by the Danube Commission.

Participants will be able to virtually attend keynote speeches by the newly elected President of the Danube Commission, high-ranking representatives of the European Commission and from the Danube countries, members of the European Parliament and from the business community. The opening session will be followed by 7 thematic sessions, addressing key challenges and opportunities in inland navigation such as the transition to zero-emission shipping, the integration of inland navigation into supply chains, and smart waterways and autonomous navigation.

On the 8^th of April between 09:45 and 13:00 hrs, Pro Danube Management together with viadonau are organising a session dedicated to synchromodal logistics chains & smart waterways. Chaired by PDM, the event aims to highlight on one side daily practices and challenges experienced by several logistics operators involved across the different supply chains legs, introduce new tools and services enabling the integration of IWT into synchromodal logistics chains as well as it will promote best practices collected by means of pilot activities deployed within the framework of one of the leading Austrian research project in the field of physical internet – PhysICAL and the European logistics alliance ALICE.  It will also provide an insight to the EC’s ongoing and planned initiatives in terms of digitalization and digital transformation & integration and will introduce key messages derived from the evaluation of the RIS Directive.

Registration is available at: www.platina3.eu/budapest

A copy of the agenda is available for download here.

Ten years ago, Mr. Alexandru Capatu and Mr. Manfred Seitz together with highly committed founding members have given the Danube community a common voice to address key challenges confronting the Danube inland navigation sector. On this occasion, we would like to thank all our members, partners and colleagues for their dedication and support to engage in a long-term, active, and coordinated cooperation process benefiting the IWT sector and regional economy at large. Since its establishment, Pro Danube International continuously continued to grow, developing into a network of more than 180 companies that have a strategic interest in securing better infrastructure conditions and a higher rate of public investments in the Danube transport and logistics system.

 

With the Danube being regarded as the economical backbone of a transnational region par excellence, characterized by different levels of socioeconomic development, Pro Danube International successfully managed to bring together public and private representatives of the Danube Region in order to have a lasting impact on the overall situation of IWT. This year's General Assembly is set to celebrate a decade of commitment to the well-being of the Danube IWT sector and to intensify cooperation with related branch organisations. We therefore cordially invite our partners to join the open session of our General Assembly to take part in the discussions with highly distinguished experts of the IWT sector. 

Those of you interested to attend, please register here.

The LASTING Project, co-financed by Horizon 2020 of the European Commission and managed by both INEA - Innovation and Networks Executive Agency and the EC kicked-off on the 20th of January 2021.

LASTING will broaden engagement of the broader waterborne transport sector in European RD&I activities, by developing a communication strategy, and implementing a long-lasting communication campaign beyond the lifetime of this project, ultimately increasing stakeholder engagement in the sector and thereby increasing impact of European waterborne transport RD&I. Pro Danube Management is part of the LASTING partnership.

In the frame of the EU co-funded project “Preparing FAIRway 2 works in the Rhine-Danube corridor”, one of the aims among other tasks is to improve public mooring place infrastructure for commercial cargo shipping.

In order to achieve this goal, viadonau together with the project partners want to determine the shipping sector’s requirements regarding the availability and quality of public mooring places in form of a survey, with special focus on the project countries Austria, Croatia and Serbia.

Based on the survey results, the project team will undertake preparatory measures for the construction and / or upgrading of public mooring places in Austria, Croatia and Serbia in a second step.

Your opinion counts – make sure to participate in the survey under following link (EN version): https://easy-feedback.de/mooring-places/1284825/39BMxP

The German survey version can be found under the following link: https://easy-feedback.de/Liegestellen/1267040/Hgy1FY