TRAN COMMITTEE ADOPTS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON IWT
The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee adopted on 28 June a draft resolution on Future-proof inland waterway transport (IWT), by 44 votes in favour and 3 abstentions. MEPs call for a modal shift arguing that it would help to reduce road congestion and emissions, enhance safety and lead to a more sustainable transport system.
The draft resolution notes that there is an urgent need for the sector to become greener and to roll out alternative fuels and propulsion methods for shipping. Alternatives could become widely available, affordable, and more attractive than the conventional propulsions through measures, such as, tax incentives (decreasing or zero tax rate for the use of shore-side electricity). The draft resolution calls on the Commission to set up a dedicated European inland waterway fund for sustainable transition, to bridge the funding gap approaching €10 billion. The EP Rapporteur, Caroline Nagtegaal (Renew, NL) noted that “it is crucial to advance the completion of the TEN-T inland waterways network, and to make the sector greener, more digitalised and fit for the future. These ambitions need to be matched with sufficient investments,” she added.
The draft resolution needs to be formally adopted by the European Parliament in a Plenary session, possibly in September 2021. Last week, CLECAT welcomed the publication of the European Commission’s NAIADES III Action Plan, which aims to boost the role of IWT in EU’s mobility and logistics system.
Source: European Parliament