PURPOSE: to update the rules on a Community-fleet capacity policy in order to promote inland waterway transport.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) No 546/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport

CONTENT: this new Regulation broadens the scope of the reserve funds called Inland Waterway Funds, set up under Council Regulation 718/1999 by Member States with inland waterways linked to those of another Member State and a total fleet tonnage of over 100 000 tonnes.

The new Regulation provides that the reserve funds may now be used by any Member State to take measures, in particular to:

· make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity, inter alia, by providing comprehensive information;

· organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members, including workers and owner-operators, leaving the industry and provide appropriate information about those schemes;

· improve skills in inland navigation and knowledge of logistics in order to safeguard the development and future of the profession;

· encourage owner-operators to join trade associations and strengthen the organisations representing inland waterway transport at Union level;

· encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions, including health protection, and promote safety;

· encourage innovation in respect of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment, including environmentally-friendly vessels;

· encourage ways of leveraging the use of the reserve funds in conjunction with available financial instruments, including, where appropriate, under Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility , and with financing instruments from the European Investment Bank.

It is specified that the reserve funds may be used for the adaptation of vessels to technical and environmental requirements adopted after the entry into force of the Regulation, including their adaptation to the further development of European standards on engine emissions, as well as for the encouragement of engine fuel efficiency, of the use of alternative fuels and of any other measures to improve air quality, and for environmentally-friendly vessels, including river-adapted vessels.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 18.06.2014.

The European Parliament adopted by 620 votes to 20, with 34 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport.

Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted at plenary are the result of an agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council. They amended the proposal as follows:

Through their amendments, the co-legislators stipulated that the measures taken by the Member States should seek to:

make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity, inter alia by providing comprehensive information , organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members , including workers and owner-operators, leaving the industry and provide appropriate information about those schemes, encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions, including health protection, and promote safety, encourage innovation in respect of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment, including environmentally-friendly vessels, encourage ways of leveraging the use of the reserve funds in conjunction with available financial instruments, including, where appropriate, under Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility , and with financing instruments from the European Investment Bank.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Corien WORTMANN-KOOL (PPE, NL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport.

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs exercised its right as an associated committee in line with Article 50 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament , to be consulted to give an opinion on this report.

The parliamentary committee recommended that the position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amend the Commission’s proposal.

The Members requested in particular that the Commission:

· support the adaptation of the inland waterway fleet to technical progress as regards the environment, by promoting the use of financial instruments from existing Union funds such as the Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon 2020 ;

· suggest ways to leverage the reserve funds by means of those existing funds as well as financing instruments from the European Investment Bank.

The measures taken by the Member States should also aim to:

· provide comprehensive information to inland waterway carriers leaving the industry making it easier to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity;

· provide information on vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry;

· encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions , including health protection , and to promote safety;

· promote innovation with regard to environmentally-friendly vessels .

PURPOSE: to amend Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 establishes the Union fleet capacity policy for vessels used to carry goods on inland waterways in the Member States. In line with their fleet capacity policies, Member States with inland waterways linked to those of another Member State and total fleet tonnage of over 100 000 tonnes set up an Inland Waterway Fund (the ‘Reserve Fund’) on the basis of the aforementioned Regulation.

The funds are administered by the competent authorities of the Member States concerned under their national legislation and with their own administrative resources. National organisations representing inland waterway carriers are involved in this administration. The reserve funds may be used in only two situations :

In the event of a ‘serious market disturbance’ in the inland waterway transport market, as referred to in Directive 96/75/EC, the Commission may, at the request of a Member State, take suitable measures, in particular measures designed to prevent any new increase in the transport capacity on offer on the market in question. If unanimously requested by the organisations representing inland waterway transport. In such as case, any Member State may take the measures as referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999.

The reserve funds, consisting solely of financial contributions from the industry, have never been used . The EU-level representative organisations approached the Commission once, in 2003, to enquire about possibilities for using the funds. However, the envisaged measures were considered to be outside the scope of Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999.

The measures referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 only cover social aspects. However, these measures could be extended in particular to broaden the scope of training schemes, to strengthen the organisation of the sector and to create a context favourable to innovation and improved environmental performance.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was undertaken.

The Commission consulted the representative organisations on 11 April 2013 on the reasons for the reserve funds never having been used, even though the sector was experiencing a decline, and on possible solutions. They confirmed that the limited scope of Article 8 was a barrier to triggering the use of the funds and stated that they would be in favour of expanding the scope of the Article.

LEGAL BASIS: Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

CONTENT: the Commission proposes to amend Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 by measures aiming to:

make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity; organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry; improve skills in inland navigation in order to safeguard the development and future of the profession; encourage owner-operators to join trade associations and strengthen the organisations representing inland waterway transport at Union level; encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions and promote safety; encourage innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no budgetary implications for the European Union.