Turi Fiorito
On February 14th, the European Parliament adopted its Resolution on Inland Waterway Transport in the European Union, considering the specific actions undertaken so far and future actions to be implemented, also in the light of the NAIADES II action programme 2014-2020 onwards.
The European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) welcomes the emphasis on the necessity for inland waterway transport to be considered within a holistic and long-term approach under the EU intermodal and sustainable transport policy by the European institutions, especially regarding modal shift targets. Considering the digital, technological and environmental challenges in logistics and mobility and the constant development of urban areas, EFIP is convinced that the only way to reduce congestion and external costs of transport is to invest more in inland waterborne transport (IWT).
Furthermore, EFIP underlines the lack of adequate and dedicated resources in the form of direct grants, which tends to perpetuate the competitive disadvantage of the IWT sector in terms of rehabilitation, upgrading and renewal of its infrastructure. EFIP calls on the Commission to fully consider the concrete intermodal/synchro-modal integration of IWT within the TEN-T Core network corridors, as well as the proper capacity of the sector to answer potential market need developments and the competitiveness of EU industries. Therein, inland navigation and inland ports should be fully considered as engines for growth as part of the European future working programmes.
EFIP supports the Parliament resolution inviting both EU policymakers and Member States to further elaborate aligned policy strategies and funding synergies to unleash the full potential of the inland navigation and its interlinked markets: freight logistics in the hinterland, mobility of passengers within urban areas and tourism.
EFIP will continue the constructive dialogue with the next Commission, Parliament and Council, in view of finding funding-based solutions that constitute a real step towards completing the internal market for inland navigation and realising the digitalisation and sustainable agenda of the inland port industry
EFIP Director Turi Fiorito comments; “NAIADES has proven to be the bedrock of the EU’s inland waterway transport policy. It has been very successful to date, but a lot of work still needs to be done and it is good that the EP recognises this. The successor to NAIADES II will have to tackle those challenges and EFIP will be there to make it a success again.”
Background information on EFIP:
The European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) brings together more than 200 inland ports and port authorities in 17 countries of the European Union, Switzerland and Ukraine. Since 1994, EFIP has been the voice of the inland ports in Europe. EFIP highlights and promotes the role of inland ports.
EFIP actively follows all developments in the field of EU policy of importance to inland ports and represents the inland ports vis-à-vis the European institutions and other international bodies. EFIP offers its members the possibility to exchange information, expertise and best practices with colleagues in other countries.
