40 Amendments of Marian-Jean MARINESCU related to 2021/2015(INI)
Amendment 17 #
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 riverwaterways;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the further development of the inland waterway sector is a cornerstone to building a smart, sustainable and competitive European transport network;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the inland waterways, as one of the most environmentally-friendly modes of transport with a largely untapped further potential of transporting large amounts of goods across the European Union, can play a fundamental role in meeting the EU’s climate objectives;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas a current modal share of 6% is far too little and a sharp increase in the modal share of inland waterway transport is needed to reduce road congestion, enhance safety, reduce emissions and lead to a more sustainable transport system as a whole;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas contrary to many congested roads, European inland waterways dispose of free capacity, offering a significant modal shift potential; whereas the current navigability of the European waterways is patchy and the modal shift is hindered by missing links and poor reliability of free- flowing inland waterways;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas ports play an important role as multimodal connecting points offering other modes of transport that can take over freight loads temporarily, and whereas it is therefore important that sea and inland ports have good connections with the hinterland;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas river cruises, ferries, day trip vessels, water taxis and water shuttles play an important role for tourism in Europe and should become a cleaner option for tourism and public transport in regions and cities with accessible and navigable rivers, lakes and canals, which would also make urban mobility more sustainable and effective;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to take the initiative on green, efficient 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;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to present proposals for a governance and regulatory framework in line with the next NAIADES action programme, providing European harmonisation and standardisation for quality navigability, vessels and qualification of crews; this framework should facilitate the coordination of investments, action programmes and the various bodies involved in inland waterway transport development, including the Member States’ administrations, EU agencies, TEN-T coordinators, River Commissions, and standardization committees;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that more investment in updating river and canalexpanding and updating the physical and digital waterway infrastructure (for example, locks, bridges and interoperable deployment of digital technologies across borders) is key to enabling quality navigability and strengthening the reliability of this mode of transport, while respecting the applicable environmental law;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges, in this regard, the Member States to fully respect their obligation to complete the TEN-T core inland waterway network by 2030, and the Commission and the TEN-T Coordinators to strengthen their oversight in this regard, eliminating the missing links and allowing for quality physical and digital infrastructure; points particularly to the need for increased investments in adequate multimodal infrastructure in ports, such as seamless rail connections and terminals, in order to facilitate competitive multimodal transport in Europe;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls upon the Commission and Member States to better take into account that it is often families with children on board who are operating in the inland waterway sector and to invest in adequate and regular facilities along the waterway routes in order to allow for decent en route living conditions;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Underlines the significant potential of rehabilitating connecting waterways and canals, in particular in regions that have suffered from decades of insufficient investments in inland waterways infrastructure;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution for tacklingStresses the need to better address the problem of low and high water levels as a result of climate change, in particular via more effective and resilient infrastructure; deplores, however, that the problems of the inland waterway sector, caused by thefloods and low water levels, have not been taken duly into account;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points, in this regard, to the relevance of integrating the use of space data and services such as provided by Galileo and Copernicus;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the importance of further encouraging and supporting initiatives aimed at the use ofquickly stepping up the availability and roll-out of alternative fuels, alternative fuels' infrastructure and propulsion methods for shipping with a network approach and in accordance with the principle of technological neutrality; points out that inland waterway transport can be suitable for the deployment of hydrogen, LNG, sustainable fuels, biofuels, hybrid and electric vessels, when the EU directs adequate research funding this way as well as incentivises and improves the scalability of required investments; welcomes the use of all readily deployable options to reduce inland navigation emissions, including bridging fuels and transitional systems, such as improved catalysts and filters for existing ships; points out, in this regard, the value of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transitional solution to reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions in inland waterway transport, as LNG emits less CO2, NOx and particulate matter than conventional inland waterways fuels; 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 fuel;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Underlines the particular role that inland waterways should play in the EU Hydrogen Strategy, both for the clean fuelling of inland waterway transport and for the crucial importance of inland waterways and its ports for the clean and efficient distribution of hydrogen along the EU’s transport networks and industry clusters;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Points out that there currently is a lack of market ready zero-emissions solutions; therefore calls on the Commission to develop a realistic roadmap to further reduce the pollutants and GHG emissions in order to reach a decarbonised inland waterway sector, while safeguarding competitiveness, reliability and safety;
Amendment 111 #
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 trendwidely available and more affordable and that the uptake of these fuels should be accelerated, for example by a realistic, progressively increasing blending percentage based on an impact assessment as well as by regulatory stability and financial support, including through the granting of tax incentives by Member States;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights the importance of ports, and their specialised shipyards where the building, conversion and retrofitting of ships take place, in the energy transition; calls therefore on the Commission and Member States to direct adequate funding and investments towards ensuring sufficient capacity and adequate infrastructure in ports to facilitate the fleet renewal and energy transition of the shipping sector;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to propose a governance framework for monitoring Rivers Basins pollution, facilitating coordination of European and national measures, investments, and action programmes;
Amendment 129 #
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, less congestion in ports and better communication and information exchange between ships, ports and infrastructure; stresses the need to further harmonise River Information Services (RIS), which wouldcalls for a strategy to develop and deploy digital and automated technologies in the inland waterway sector, outlining both interoperable standards, across modes and borders as well as the required research actions and funding, including via dedicated calls within Horizon Europe; stresses the need to update technical standards in the field of inland navigation (CESNI) and further harmonise River Information Services (RIS), which would simplify procedures in the field of regulating inland navigation, solve the problems arising from different interpretations of technical standards and the lack of comparable data, and allow for the speedy development and deployment of innovative solutions, and underlines the need to prepare for interoperable data exchange with other modes of transport;
Amendment 136 #
7a. Stresses the need for swift implementation of the electronic freight transport information (eFTI) regulation, allowing transport operators to share information with enforcement authorities in a swift, easy and digital manner;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of connecting existing digital transport policy frameworks and of making sure that multimodal 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 infrastructure and data sharing, with the goal of achieving an interoperable, synchromodal, connected and automated transport system by 2035 at the latest;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points to the need for incentives for the development of intermodal digital port platforms; calls in this regard for a Project of European Added Value, financed by the RRF, for the navigability and multimodal connection of TEN-T inland waterway corridors;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights that increased automation brings the reality of synchromodal transport in Europe closer; insists therefore on the need for a European Roadmap for Smart and Autonomous Inland Waterway Transport Systems that supports researchfuture-oriented legislation, research, pilot projects and field labs, the development and successful implementation of smart ships and ports, based on Intelligent Transport Systems, and digital interoperability;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Points to the benefits of EU Space services and data differentiators provided by Galileo and Copernicus to enable green, safe and secure navigation of autonomous vessels;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Highlights that safe and secure autonomous navigation requires standardized sharing of information beyond the position of the antenna of the vessels, such as the attitude of vessels, the contour of the hull as well as on modifications of the waterways, in order to manage autonomous operations, to avoid potential collisions between vessels that share the same fairway, and to provide skippers with the latest information about the fairway; points to space solutions as enablers for inland waterway transport and the useful contribution of EU Space assets Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in this regard;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Ports: from transshipment point for fossil fuels to clean energy and circular hub
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights that the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure should take into account the potential demand and market characteristics of a port; stresses, therefore, that a European rollout strategy of alternative fuels for multimodal and industrial use through the TEN-T revision and Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFID) should follow a network approach that leads to an efficiently planned infrastructure, based on the potential market demand characteristics of a port and, where necessary, along water routes and the principle of technology neutrality;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to strengthen the synergies between the inland waterways infrastructure and the Trans-European Energy Networks, which will facilitate the energy transition of inland shipping and support the development of ports as energy hubs; highlights, in this regard, the need for better integrating inland waterways infrastructure into the European energy grid to facilitate the use of on-shore power supply; also stresses the potential of inland waterways for the transport of alternative fuels;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Points to the promising role of ports in the circular economy; calls upon the Commission to develop measures supporting circular economy activities in ports, including collection and transport of used materials, waste and recycled products, in order to unlock their potential to become circular hubs;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the need to modernise inland navigation education and training, focusing on the development of green and digital skills as well as on overcoming language barriers, thereby creating attractive jobs, particularly for young people, with high and harmonised social and safety standards and qualification levels; calls, furthermore, for the proper implementation of Directive (EU) 2017/2397 on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation by Member States by 17 January 2022;
Amendment 200 #
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 Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF), and the need to mobilise them to finance investments in alternative fuels and adequate ship, the development and roll-out of alternative propulsion systems for vessels and infrastructure;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Believes that Member States must in particular seize the RRF as a unique funding opportunity for inland waterways, combining short-term economic recovery effects with the long-term benefits of targeted infrastructure and shipping investments;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that the inland waterway sector consists mostly of SMEs, family businesses and smaller ports, which makes it difficult for them to make expensive investments in order to comply with the goals of the Green Deal; considers, therefore, that the scalability of required investments should be improved and the administrative burden and cost for access to funding should be significantly reduced;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to set up a dedicated European inland waterway fund, including a 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 thecomplement the existing reserve funds created under Regulation (EU) 546/20149 , where possible complemented with national funds and contributions, awith significant additional financial contributions from European and national financing instruments in order to leverage further investments from the industry and to address the current investment gap in financing the sustainable transition; this fund should also provide for the possibility of blending with the CEF and the Structural and Cohesion Funds; as well as financing instruments from the European Investment Bank; _________________ 9 OJ L 163, 29.5.2014, p. 15.
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls upon the Commission to reinforce its internal resources dedicated to inland waterway transport, including human recourses, bringing them in line with the ambitions of the Green Deal, the modal shift and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy for this sector;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7
Subheading 7
Passenger transport and, urban mobility and waterborne city logistics
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the recent Commission evaluation of the 2013 Urban Mobility Package10 ; highlights in this regard that the expected results of the Urban Mobility Plan (UMP), namely a reduction in CO2 and air pollutant emissions, less congestion and fewer road casualties in urban areas, have not consistently materialised across the EU; calls on the Commission, therefore, to encourage Member States and cities to include, where possible, waterborne city logistics and local freight distribution as well as waterborne public transport, as a safe and effective mode of transport, in their sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) and to enhance their urban mobility data collection; stresses, furthermore, the need to include waterborne public transport means in digital mobility platforms, such as Mobility as a Service; _________________ 10Commission staff working document of 24 February 2021 entitled 'Evaluation of the 2013 Urban Mobility Package' (SWD(2021)0047) - https://eur- lex.europa.eu/legal- content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021SC00 47