Inland waterway transport in the EU

Briefing 08-02-2022

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is one of the most CO2-efficient transport modes per tonne of goods carried, using only 17 % of the energy needed by often-congested road transport and 50 % of rail transport. The sector already plays an important economic role in transporting both goods and passengers in Europe. However, it has an untapped potential for increasing its capacity, which warrants the renewed attention it has recently attracted, in the light of sustainable development. Despite support from the side of the European Union and at national levels, the modal share of inland navigation in the overall EU transport sector has long remained more or less stable at 6 %. During the Covid 19 crisis, the sector lost a little of its share to the benefit of road transport. To reduce CO2 emissions from EU transport, the European Commission is seeking to increase the shift of freight transport to rail and inland shipping. Both recent Commission strategies – the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – reflect this intention, and outline the steps needed to achieve an increased use of IWT, as well as of short sea shipping. To play its role to the full, the sector has to overcome important challenges and become digital, greener and resilient. Next to new or adapted rules, this will require substantial and additional investment into modern infrastructure, digital technologies and greener vessels, as well as a qualified workforce to ensure the sector's future development. This briefing provides an insight into recent EU policy developments related to inland navigation and includes the views of the European Parliament and the main sectoral stakeholders. In addition, it looks at existing financial support from the EU, the new NAIADES III support programme, and offers a short outlook for future reform of and changes to the EU's IWT network.