The European Union’s Council:

  • acknowledges the significance of inland waterway transportation as a sustainable and less congested mode of transportation on the path to zero-emission mobility and emphasizes the need to fully realize its potential in a sustainable manner through concrete steps and appropriate measures at both the Union and Member-State level, while preserving its competitiveness.
  • acknowledges the necessity of considering the various conditions present in each Member State with relation to the potential of inland waterways.
  • emphasizes the significance of formulating plans to address the effects of inland waterway transportation on climate change and the environment, as well as vice versa, through specialized research and related investments.
  • recognizes the significant effects of climate change on inland waterway transportation, particularly on navigability, operations, and water management, as demonstrated by changes in ground water levels as well as by the recent severe droughts and periods of heavy rainfall and emphasizes the necessity of enhancing navigability by implementing the Good Navigation Status in accordance with TEN-T guidelines.
  • recognizes the crucial role that inland waterway transportation plays in the decongestion of urban agglomerations, the transportation of heavy cargo, and the delivery of significant quantities of construction materials, agricultural products, steel, chemicals, and energy products, including the export of Ukrainian goods via the Solidarity Lanes, particularly via the Danube.

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