Activities of Johan VAN OVERTVELDT related to 2021/2015(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT towards future-proof inland waterway transport in Europe
Amendments (22)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
– having regard to Regulation (EU) 1315/2013 on EU guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network 1a, _________________ 1a OJ L 348, 20.12.2013
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the Council Conclusions of 5 June 2020 on "EU Waterborne Transport Sector - Future outlook: Towards a carbon-neutral, zero accidents, automated and competitive EU Waterborne Transport Sector",
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the EU waterborne transport sector, including inland waterway transport, is of EU strategic interest for its integrity of supply and for the competitiveness of EU ports; whereas 75% of inland waterway navigation occurs cross-border and coordination is thus essential for the European single market;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas European countries have a variety of different fleets of inland vessels, which makes inland waterway transport very convenient and useful for transporting different types and large quantities of cargo to different destinations on either large or small riversver water;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas inland waterway transport is an essential pillar in the shift towards multimodal sustainable transport but at the same time faces important challenges; whereas the share of inland waterways in freight movement across the EU is around 6%; whereas further action is urgently needed to achieve the objective of shifting a substantial part of the 75% of inland freight carried today by road, onto rail and inland waterways; whereas it is crucial in this regard to link new sustainable circular and energy markets to inland waterway transport;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the inland waterway transport sector strongly believes that greening the sector is key in view of its long-term competitiveness and in order to enable the sector to play a significant, reliable and credible role in the multimodal shift; whereas a broad reflection on how to finance this green transition is ongoing in the sector1a; whereas the time has come for concrete measures, tools and means to facilitate putting this ambition into practice; _________________ 1aE.g. the study of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, https://www.ccr-zkr.org/12080000- en.html
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas insufficient infrastructure investments have led to a backlog; whereas qualitative infrastructure is the basis and backbone of a successful inland waterway sector; whereas increasing capacity has its limits and focus should equally be on increasing performance and ensuring a 24/7 reliability of the sector;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas an important share of EU inland waterway freight is seaport related; whereas both sea and inland ports play an important role as multimodal connecting points offeringhubs offering connections to other modes of transport that can also take over freight loads temporarily, and whereas it is therefore important that sea and inland portsand required by TEN-T guidelines that sea and inland ports are well connected with each other and have good connections with the hinterland;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas river cruises, day trip vessels, ferries, water taxis and water shuttles should become a cleaner option for tourism and public transport in regions and cities with accessible and navigable rivers and canal(inland)waterways, which would make urban mobility more sustainable and effective; whereas the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy should take this into account;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to take the initiative on green and digital leadership and to build on existing programmes such as NAIADES, which should inspire all stakeholders within the waterway transport sector, as well as other transport sectors, and in particular rail, to work together towards a sustainable future, while supporting the competitiveness of the sector as a whole; emphasises that inland waterways offer an excellent transport mode for commodities stemming from new circular economy markets and that a coordination of transport, environmental and industrial policies is key to seize these opportunities;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that more and regular investment in updating river and canal infrastructureand upgrading the physical and digital infrastructure of (inland) waterways (for example, locks, bridges and interoperable deployment of digital technologies across borders) is key in view of the sector's performance and reliability and to prevent deterioration, while respecting the applicable environmental law;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution for tackling the problem of low and high water levels as a result of climate change; deplores, however, that the problems of the inland waterway sector, caused by the low water levels, have not been taken duly into account; believes that Member States' action plans to combat low water levels and a coordination thereof are a necessary tool;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underscores furthermore that investments in inland waterway transport infrastructure in and around seaports are of paramount importance; considers that a close cooperation between all stakeholders of the logistics value chain is necessary;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the importance of further encouraging and supporting initiatives aimed at the use of alternative fuels and propulsion methods for inland waterway shipping in accordance with the principle of technological neutrality; points out, in this regard, the value of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transitional solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in inland waterway transport; notes that the existing, technically mature vessels and distribution infrastructure now based on LNG could be used for biogas and will therefore be essential in scaling up Bio- LNG as a marine fuelat inland shipping will require a heterogeneous alternative energy mix; calls on the Commission to ensure legal certainty through a coherent package in this regard (alternative fuels, ship requirements, energy taxation) and to allow for innovative pilot projects meanwhile;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights that low-emission and zero-emission alternatives should become more financially attractive than conventional propulsions and that this trend should be accelerated, for example by a smart mix of grants and loans and a realistic, progressively increasing blending percentage based on an impact assessment;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that far-reaching digitalisation and data collection contributes to a cleaner environment and improved safety on board and result in more efficient routing and better communication and information exchange between ships, ports and infrastructure; stresses the need to further harmonise River Information Services (RIS), which would solve the problems arising from different interpretations of technical standards and the lack of comparable data, and underlines the need to prepare for a common framework for interoperable data exchange with otherbetween modes of transport;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of connecting existing digital transport policy frameworks and of making sure that transport data are available through a single point of access in order to achieve efficiency gains in waterborne freight transport; calls on the Commission in this regard to come up with an EU action plan for multimodal transport data sharingigital infrastructure that enables data sharing and interoperability, with the goal of achieving a synchromodal, connected and automated transport system by 2035 at the latest;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Ports: from transshipment points for fossil fuels to clean energy and circular hubs
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the role of inland ports as strategic, multimodal nodes in the logistics system; stresses, therefore, that inland ports as well as sea ports should have efficient hinterland connections with a focus on connecting to the TEN-T core and comprehensive corridors where possible; supports the increasing cooperation and clustering between sea and inland ports;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Emphasises the potential of both sea and inland ports to become circular and clean energy hubs and calls on the Commission to establish a stronger link between its circular economy and inland waterway transport policies in order to unlock this potential;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of existing EU funding instruments for greening and digitalising our European inland waterway transport sector, such as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Horizon Europe and the Structural and Cohesion Funds, and the need to mobilise them to finance investments in alternative fuels and adequate ships and infrastructure; highlights furthermore the importance of using the taxonomy to enable sustainable investments in inland waterway infrastructure;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to set up a dedicated European inland waterway fund for greening and digitalisation, including a corridor one-stop-shop system that is easily accessible for help and assistance and has the possibility to combine projects into a single application, thus increasing the chances for funding; stresses that the fund should be financed through the reserve funds created under Regulation (EU) 546/20149 , where possible complemented with national funds and contributions, and should provide for the possibility of blending with the CEF and the Structural and Cohesion Fundsby national funds and other both private and public contributions, including the EIB, and should provide for the possibility of blending with the CEF and the Structural and Cohesion Funds; considers that the reserve funds created under Regulation (EU) 546/20149 should serve as an additional source for financing this inland waterway fund; _________________ 9 OJ L 163, 29.5.2014, p. 15.