European Parliament votes for more modern inland waterway transport
17 Apr 2014 02:46 PM
The European Parliament
has voted in first reading on two proposals by the Commission regarding inland
waterway transport: a proposal to facilitate the use of the Reserve fund and
another relating to technical requirements for inland waterway
vessels.
Commission Vice-President Siim
Kallas, responsible for Transport said “I welcome the vote of the
Parliament on these two proposals. The inland waterway sector needs to be a
real alternative for transport and our package of proposals is needed to use
Europe's rivers and canals to their full potential to the benefit of the
transport network."
The NAIADES II "Towards quality inland waterway
transport", adopted in September 2013, sets out an action programme for
the period 2014 – 2020 aiming at creating favourable conditions for
inland navigation in the field of infrastructure, innovation, functioning of
the market, environmental standards, and jobs and skills.
The Reserve fund in the inland
waterway transport sectori includes currently around €
35 million and has never been used. With the vote , Parliament agrees to
broaden the scope of the measures towards training schemes, not only for
workers in the sector, but for all crew members. Additionally, it will be
possible to use the funds for innovation of vessels and their adaption to
technical progress with regards to the environment. With the approval of the
European Parliament, and since the Council of Ministers has already given its
agreement, the amended Regulation can enter into force in this
legislature.
The proposal for a
Directive laying down technical requirements for inland waterway
vessels aims at facilitating and improving the adoption
procedures when adapting and updating the technical standards for inland
waterway vessels. After the vote in the Parliament, the Council of Ministers is
expected to take its position on the proposed Directive.
Follow Vice-President Kallas
on Twitter
Contacts :
Helen
Kearns (+32 2 298 76 38)
Dale Kidd (+32
2 295 74 61)
For the
public: Europe Direct by
phone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or by email
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