Pro Danube - News

: 28 July 2021

Launch of the DAVID Creator

The DoRIS portal, operated by viadonau, offers another free service to interested waterway users: the DAVID Creator. The new application enables the electronic creation of the internationally harmonised border control forms – the Danube Navigation Standard Forms (short: DAVID forms) - which will further reduce administrative barriers in the Danube Region.

Elaborated in the framework of the EUSDR Working Group PA1A Inland Waterways and PA 11 Security, the DAVID forms facilitate a harmonised and time-efficient border control process, gradually replacing the three most frequently used forms: arrival and departure reports, crew lists, and passenger lists.

Initiated and coordinated by Pro Danube International, the DANTE project was a key facilitator for the implementation and acceptance of the DAVID forms in the Danube riparian countries.

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: 22 July 2021

Pro Danube welcomes "Fit for 55"

Pro Danube welcomes the release of "Fit for 55", a package of legislative proposals to achieve the EU's 2030 climate targets on the way to the ultimate goal: climate neutrality in 2050. The aim of the Commission's proposals released on 14 July is to reduce net emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, aligning EU policy with the ambitious political mandates of the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law. This series of 13 cross-cutting legislative proposals include 8 revisions of existing legislation and 5 brand new proposals.

The Fit for 55 package aims to bring transport into the EU decarbonisation process. As the transport sector accounts for approx. 27% of EU emissions, its decarbonisation is essential for the EU to reach its climate targets.

With the adoption of the European Climate Law, the EU's ambitious goal to become in the course of the next decades climate neutral is no longer an option, but a must. The package proposes a clear vision of how to best achieve its climate targets. It represents the most comprehensive set of proposals the Commission has ever presented on climate and energy, setting the basis for a sustainable European economy in the future.

: 06 July 2021

Pro Danube at the Online Webinar on Greening Challenges and Stage V

Under the title Greening Challenges and Stage V, organised by the European IWT Platform and attended by Pro Danube's transnational branch organisations, innovative technology providers, representatives of the public sector as well as international organisations, the core objective of the webinar was to discuss, analyse and provide recommendations on the more than challenging pathway towards a climate resilient European IWT system. Given the adoption of NAIADES III as well as the provisions of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the webinar provided a fruitful ground to share information and provide several examples of good practices.

PDI was represented by its General Secretary, Mr. Robert Rafael, who provided information on the major outcomes of the GRENDEL project which established a solid partnership under the lead of Pro Danube International, culminating in the proposal of a dedicated State Aid Scheme for Fleet Modernisation. This innovative financial instrument takes several aspects such as greening, efficiency, and innovative technological solutions into consideration. The model state aid scheme was developed to serve as a guideline for Danube riparian countries to develop national state aid schemes for fleet modernisation according to their individual needs and requirements. Since the vast majority of the Danube inland fleet is outdated in terms of economic and environmental performance, modernising inland vessels and adapting them to the new digital era and envisaged climate-neutral European transport system is no longer an option, but a must. This shall be achieved with a mix of funding and financing solutions.

: 30 June 2021

Launch of the Survey on Port Statistics & COVID-Impact

Developed within the DIONYSUS project with the support of the Danube Ports Network (DPN), the aim of the "Survey on Port Statistics and COVID-19 Impact" is to collect information on port traffic in the midst of the pandemic covering the year 2020. While Danube shipping is closely correlated with developments in the global and regional economy, the average number of port calls, as well as the amount of the handled products and traffic in passenger transport, could generate useful insights into the actual impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Danube IWT. The survey furthermore touches upon topics linked to any kind of procedural restrictions that might have impaired a smooth transport flow.

The survey has been elaborated by the teams of Pro Danube Management (AT) in cooperation with Public Ports (SK), Ennshafen Port (AT), the Hungarian Federation of Danube Ports (HU), Constanta Maritime Ports Administration (RO), and the Port Governance Agency (RS).

The survey is open from end-June 2021 until 15 September 2021.

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