CLECAT WELCOMES NAIADES III ACTION PLAN
The European Commission presented on 24 June the NAIADES III Action Plan, a 35-point programme to boost the role of inland waterway transport in our mobility and logistics systems, in line with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which set the goal of increasing transport by inland waterways and short sea shipping by 25% by 2030, and by 50% by 2050. The Commission will help inland waterway managers to ensure a high level of service (Good Navigation Status) along EU inland waterway corridors by 31 December 2030.
CLECAT especially welcomes the proposed actions, amongst which the incorporation of a corridor approach in the upcoming revision of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive, and the support for the deployment of zero-emissions inland vessels. The Commission also notes its intention to establish an EU framework for the harmonised measurement and reporting of emissions from logistics and transport, which could then be used to provide businesses and end-users with an estimate of the carbon footprint of their choices, and increase the demand for more sustainable options, including inland waterways where feasible. ‘
Among other interesting actions proposed is the revision of the Combined Transport Directive, which, along with support for investments towards transhipment capacity and inland multimodal terminals. The action plan also includes measures to accelerate and stimulate investments towards the development and deployment of innovative, zero-emission and zero-waste technologies for vessels and inland ports, and helping the sector keep up with digital developments. CLECAT believes that combined with the digitalisation and smart shipping proposals, this will decrease the carbon footprint while adding to the efficiency of inland shipping.
CLECAT is participating in the advisory board of the EU-funded PLATINA3 project, that will ensure targeted coordination and support activities to promote inland waterway transport in Europe. The main objective is to provide the knowledge base for the implementation of the EU Green Deal in view of further development of the European Commissions’ IWT action programme (NAIADES) towards 2030.
Source: European Commission