Executive summary
Major centres of production and consumption are located along Europe’s waterways. Rivers and canals are therefore vital to the competitiveness of the EU’s basic industries, from SMEs to large corporations. Large volumes of goods, including steel, agricultural products, chemicals, oversized cargo, alternative fuels, construction materials and waste can be transported by inland waterways. Disruptions to this system have a significant impact on downstream supply chains, industrial production and even food security. As a safe and energy-efficient alternative, inland waterway transport relieves congested land networks while offering increased opportunities for sustainable tourism and recreation. Inland ports act as key transhipment nodes and gateways in this ecosystem, extending the reach of maritime trade into the heart of Europe, enabling multimodal logistics and hosting a wide range of industrial activities. Importantly, inland ports are also becoming hubs for renewable energy and the circular economy.
As such, Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) and Ports play a crucial role in achieving Europe’s climate neutrality, economic resilience and strategic autonomy and are a competitive and crucial component of the Clean Industrial Deal and the Waterborne ecosystem.
This statement presents our sector’s vision and concrete proposals for the upcoming industrial waterborne1 and port strategies focusing on the twin green and digital transition and achieving resilience while putting people at its core. Aligned with the Competitiveness Compass goals – closing the innovation gap and developing a competitiveness roadmap in a rapidly changing environment –the sector advocates to reach these objectives with the following key policy instruments:
1. Fostering innovation from its inception phase to deployment across the value chain;
2. Pro-innovation regulation providing legal certainty to boost investment;
3. A funding and investment framework, which is stable, predictable, fit-for-purpose and easy-to-access in particular for SMEs.
The interplay between innovation and regulation is essential to ensure continued progress and encourage investment.
In order to achieve these ambitions, it is essential to establish a robust, interconnected industrial ecosystem that brings together the inland waterway sector, other waterborne industries, shipyards, equipment manufacturers, energy suppliers and ports. To reach Europe’s industrial and climate objectives and maintain global leadership in the waterborne sector, it is vital to invest, support and strengthen this ecosystem, including the skilled and dedicated workforce at the heart of it.
