Pro Danube - News

: 03 June 2019

DANTE: the closing event of a transnational success story

Identifying, mitigating and abolishing administrative burdens and harmonising bureaucratic procedures were key elements that defined the last 30 months of the fruitful transnational partnership in the framework of the DANTE project. The final event of DANTE was held on 29 May 2019 at the premises of the Danube Commission. The event was attended by representatives of the European Commission (DG MOVE), the Danube Commission, the Joint Secretariat of the Danube Transnational Programme, national administrations of the Danube countries and last but not least, transnational representatives of the IWT sector.

One of the major highlights of the final event was the official release of the DANTE brochure. The brochure summarizes the main achievements and conclusions of the project and is available for download here.

The DANTE project resulted in meaningful steps forward in further strengthening the transnational collaboration process between public and private entities to mitigate and abolish the most common bureaucratic procedures in a well-defined and coordinated manner. The know-how of the stakeholders paired with the capacity of policy makers to implement the identified solutions paved the way to successfully abolish administrative burdens and to make important steps forward in better integrating IWT in the European intermodal transport and logistics chains. The "Danube IWT Administration Strategy and Action Plan" plays in this regard a vital role, as it identifies the major transnational administrative burdens that hinder the development of IWT at its full potential. The document furthermore proposes concrete strategic actions and measures to overcome them and make IWT a more competitive mode of transport.

Continuing the intercountry collaboration after the official closure of the project is of outmost importance to further strengthen the excellent results achieved so far by DANTE. This will happen in the framework of the DANTE Facilitation and Monitoring Platform.

: 17 May 2019

PDI attended the Joint Working Group Meeting on "Administrative Processes" and "River Information Services"

The main objective of the working group meeting which took place on 16 May in Vienna was to have a comprehensive discussion over the next steps to introduce the harmonised DAVID forms on the national level and to explore the opportunities for their digitalisation. During this occasion, PA1a presented the third edition of the „Practical Manual on Border Controls“ which integrates the technical inputs received from the different countries of the Danube Region.

The practical manual contains general information on control modalities in each country including steps to be followed by captains and crew members as well as the forms to be filled. Furthermore, locations of control points, contact details and opening hours of all involved control authorities are listed. The manual has the potential to facilitate the market entry of newcomers and to reduce disadvantages caused by lack of information.

The third edition of the manual can be accessed here.

: 22 April 2019

DAPhNE: first know-how transfer event dedicated to port digitalisation hosted by DPN

Under the title “Danube Ports in the digital age: challenges & opportunities”, the event featured 14 speakers that ranged from leading experts in ICT, digital transformation and innovation in maritime and inland ports and navigation, to transport, logistics, supply chain and automation experts, to EU transport policy and funding experts. The conference highlighted current EU policies and legislative initiatives to support sea & inland ports digitalisation, showcased how first-movers have responded to the digital challenge and driven the needed change at port organisation and port community level i.e the case of Port of Barcelona, the Port of Rotterdam model, the HAROPA (Le Havre – Rouen - Paris) and the Upper Rhine smart corridor approaches etc.

New technologies are rapidly changing the transport and logistics landscape, hence requesting all transport, logistics and supply chains actors, including inland and sea ports, to be more innovative and agile. Danube ports cannot ignore the rising tide of global digitalisation and port authorities need to prepare for and invest now in their digital future. However, it is often unclear what “digital” means for a port organisation, its core business and the port community at large. Port digitalization it is in fact a long-term process which requires port organisations and port stakeholders alike to undergo continuous structural, functional and strategic transformations.

Are ports in the Danube Region prepared for such a transformational journey? What are the pre-requisites and the capabilities needed to enable such a process? What is the role of a port authority to leading such a process and foster a digital culture in its own organisation and at port community level?

To answer these questions and kick-start a more structured debate on port digitalisation, relevant digital trends & technologies in the port domain, the Danube Ports Network has organised within the context of the DAPhNE Project its first thematic conference dedicated to port digitalisation.

Under the title “Danube Ports in the digital age: challenges & opportunities”, the event featured 14 speakers that ranged from leading experts in ICT, digital transformation and innovation in maritime and inland ports and navigation, to transport, logistics, supply chain and automation experts, to EU transport policy and funding experts.

The conference highlighted current EU policies and legislative initiatives to support sea & inland ports digitalisation, showcased how first-movers have responded to the digital challenge and driven the needed change at port organisation and port community level i.e the case of Port of Barcelona, the Port of Rotterdam model, the HAROPA (Le Havre – Rouen - Paris) and the Upper Rhine smart corridor approaches etc.. Furthermore, the conference gave insight into ongoing port digitalisation projects and initiatives -- illustrating how modern communication technologies can help to sustainably optimise the processes and operations of river and sea ports. Last but not least, participants got to experience cutting-edge technologies and innovative digital solutions for integrated port traffic management, Port Community System and Supply Chain Route Planning during an interactive online workshop run by the Port of Rotterdam.

: 22 April 2019

DAPhNE: the second edition of Port Policy Day was held in Vienna on 10 April

Over 50 committed representatives of the DAPhNE project partner organisations, along with representatives of relevant public and private stakeholders of the Danube port and waterborne transport community came together on 10 April 2019 in Vienna to celebrate in the framework of DAPhNE project the official launch of the Danube Ports Network (DPN).

The event took place in the context of DAPhNE’s Danube Ports Policy Day (2nd edition)and provided a formal opportunity to validate the key tenets of the DPN’s vision, mission and values to further strengthen the commitment of its strategic partners. Indeed, eight out of thirteen partner port organisations currently involved in the DAPhNE project, made a tangible commitment to continue working with and for the DPN - beyond its pilot action phase (June 2018 - June 2019). Their commitment has been formally expressed and recorded by the signature of the Danube Ports Network Letter of Commitment (LoC).

The following key strategic partners have signed the LoC and thus formalised their commitment to the DPN, namely: the Hungarian Federation of the Danube Ports (Hungary) - represented by Capt. Béla SZALMA President, Ennshafen OÖ GmbH (Austria) - represented by Werner AUER, General Manager, Rhenus Donauhafen Krems GmbH &Co. KG (Austria) - represented by Gerhard GUSSMAGG, Managing Director, the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (Bulgaria) - represented by Anguel ZABURTOV, Director General, the ICS Danube Logistics SRL/Giurgiulesti International Free Port (Moldova) - represented by Thomas MOSER, Director Business Development, the Port of Vukovar Authority (Croatia) - represented by Alen JAKUMETOVIC, Managing Director, the Public Ports Slovakia Jsc. (Slovakia), represented by Gabriel SZEKERES, CEO and Ing. Josef BODI, Director investment directorate, and Port Governance Agency (Serbia), represented by Vuk PEROVIC, Acting Director.

With the DPN strategic partnership formalised in the framework of the DAPhNE project, another key milestone was reached in the DPN's organisational life. Along with the operationalisation of the DPN Governance structure i.e. the formation of its 1st Advisory Group and the setting-up of the DPN Technical Secretariat - concrete steps have been taken in contributing to DPN’s institutional consolidation and growth. All these aspects, along with an overview of key initiatives and upcoming activities of the DPN as well as other specific thematic topics were further discussed during the official launch the event.