NAIADES II - an action programme to support inland waterway transport

22.1.2014

Question for oral answer O-000016/2014
to the Commission
Rule 115
Brian Simpson, on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism

In its communication of 10 September 2013 entitled ‘Towards quality inland waterway transport – NAIADES II’ (COM(2013)0623), the Commission noted that the inland waterway sector was currently undergoing difficult times and suffering from overcapacity in certain segments and continued fragmentation of market players, on top of the general slowdown of the EU economy since 2008. In order to enable sustainable and inclusive growth of the sector in the long term, the Commission proposed structural changes in the inland waterway transport sector, which include improvements in the sector’s operating conditions, infrastructure, markets and innovation, jobs and skills, and integration into the logistics chain.

However, the Commission failed to propose innovative and concrete measures - including adequate and dedicated funding – that would ensure the full implementation of the action programme and have a real impact on the sector. NAIADES II appears to be a patchwork of existing measures.

In view of the importance of the inland waterway transport sector for ensuring a sustainable transport chain in Europe, in particular for freight, Parliament is concerned that a solid and concrete strategy for the inland waterway sector is missing.

Does the Commission intend to draw up a strategic plan, including concrete actions, resources for implementation, and achievable, measurable targets for the short and medium term, in order to reinforce the position of the inland waterway transport sector in the transport chain and aid its integration?

What concrete measures does the Commission intend to take, and what resources are envisaged to stimulate the uptake of innovation with a view to increasing the environmental performance of the inland waterway fleet, bearing in mind that access to finance, in particular for SMEs and micro-enterprises, is currently very difficult?

What concrete measures does the Commission intend to take in order to facilitate access for SMEs, which make up most of the inland waterway sector, to the various financing instruments of the Union, bearing in mind that access to these instruments usually requires specific administrative and bureaucratic knowledge not readily available to SMEs?