For several years, there have been discussions within the inland navigation industry and the CDNI bodies about the disposal and financing of CDNI Part C waste, especially concerning domestic refuse. The background to this is that not all CDNI Parties adhere to the provisions of the Convention. Article 7(1) CDNI clearly states that in the ports, at the handling facilities, and at holding areas and locks, there shall be no specific charge made for the reception and disposal of domestic refuse.
Nevertheless, since a few years already, fees are charged for the disposal of domestic refuse on the Flemish waterways at these locations and this is done on a volume basis which contradicts the CDNI principal of indirect financing. From the point of view of the other contracting states, it is a clear violation of the Convention. EBU/ESO/IWT already sharply criticised the procedure in the hearing meeting last year and called for compliance with Article 7 CDNI.
The problem must now be solved at national level in Belgium after the CDNI/G working group, which meets twice a year in Strasbourg, deleted the issue from its agenda because all other delegations except Belgium came to the conclusion that the disposal of domestic refuse should continue to be possible for the inland navigation sector at the locations explicitly listed in the CDNI without paying a special fee.
Author: Elena Siebrecht
