Developing innovative financial instruments to actively support the challenging modernisation process of the Danube fleet is a project that has to go beyond borders. The proposed State Aid Scheme in the framework of GRENDEL, expected to be finalised by the end of 2020, will serve as a basis to develop targeted harmonised financial instruments to proactively stimulate innovative vessel modernisation activities, thus contributing to the economic and environmental performance of IWT.
The drafting process of the Model State Aid Scheme has to take several aspects into consideration in order not to interfere with European legislation. It was therefore decided to organise a meeting with experts of the European institutions – namely DG COMP and DG REGIO – to discuss about the expected effects of a widely harmonised State Aid Scheme for fleet modernisation and its legal implications for beneficiaries. The fruitful meeting resulted in meaningful steps forward in the development process of dedicated financial instruments to stimulate the greening of the Danube fleet.
The General Secretary of Pro Danube International, Mr. Róbert Rafael, was invited to participate at the discussions held on the current status of the Draft Recommendations for the Development of Common, Harmonized Guidelines/Standars for Good Navigation Status.
In order to efficiently adapt inland waterway transport (IWT) to the needs and requirements of emerging industries, Pro Danube International stated that its members require the creation of adequate rules, recommendations and guidelines by using the corridor approach as a fundamental basis of future policies. This approach has the potential to make IWT more competitive and a reliable alternative to other, more polluting modes of transport.
The European Parliament adopted earlier this year a Motion for a Resolution to urge the European Commission to update and renew the NAIADES action programme by 2020 in order to ensure that the potential of inland waterway transport (IWT) as a safe, sustainable and effective mode of transport can be fully exploited. With IWT having sufficient capacity to absorb much higher volumes of freight and passengers, the resolution calls for proactive policies aimed at supporting the sector in view of the digital, technological and environmental challenges in logistics and mobility.
Due to its demonstrated level of expertise in the inland navigation sector and its efficiency in representating the industry in the European decision making process, Pro Danube International was invited to actively participate in a stakeholder workshop organised in Brussels, giving input especially to the thematic fields dealing with the modernisation process of the fleet and the efficient integration of IWT into logistics planing by means of digitalisation.
The core objective of this meeting was to prepare a comprehensive set of recommendations that will be adopted at the upcoming NAIADES Expert Group Meeting in order to be presented to the newly elected European Commission. Pro Danube International was represented by its General Secretary, Mr. Róbert Rafael and Ms. Lucia Karpatyova.
Ms. Ruxandra Florescu gave on behalf of Pro Danube International an interview to the Romanian "Viața Liberă" newspaper regarding the positive impact of DANTE, DAPhNE and GRENDEL on the development of waterborne transport in the Danube Region. As inland waterway transport (IWT) is regarded as an indispensable part of the European TEN-T network, the development of the Danube is a project that has to go beyond borders. Under the fruitful leadership of PDI, DANTE and DAPhNE already delivered tangible results, while the expectations on GRENDEL are set equally high.
Link: https://www.viata-libera.ro/prima-pagina/130385-axa-galati-viena-pentru-modernizarea-navigatiei-pe-dunare
