29 January 2024, the European Commission adopted a new proposal to improve traffic management on the EU’s rivers and canals. The measure follows up on the action plan to shift more cargo to Europe’s inland waterways, in line with the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – transport by inland waterways is energy-efficient, and almost congestion-free.
Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “The measures proposed today will improve the efficiency and reliability of inland navigation and traffic management across Europe’s rivers, such as the Danube and the Rhine. Modern river information services will help barge operators and skippers to better and more easily exchange with port operators and authorities to better plan and execute their voyages. In turn, this will help further integrating inland waterways transport within modern logistics processes and multimodal chains.”
The proposal updates the existing directive on river information services, including provisions on traffic information and management, on information on the condition of waterways and infrastructure, on voyage planning for skippers, and on reporting to authorities. River Information Services is provided on around 13,000 km of interconnected waterways across 12 EU Member States.
For more information, please see here.