Rhine-Alpine News
26.10.2023
CCNR Releases Annual Inland Navigation Report
Symbolic picture by Tama66 on Pixabay
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) released its inland navigation report for the year 2022.
This year’s edition examines macroeconomic conditions, national investments in inland waterway transport infrastructure, IWT in ports, operating conditions related to water levels and freight rates, commodity prices, employment, passenger transport, trend developments related to goods segments and river basins, inland vessel fleet, , and an outlook of the major inland navigation market segments.
In terms of Rhine transport, not only were cargo volumes transported on the traditional Rhine (from Basel to the German-Dutch border) examined, but also volumes transported in the lower Rhine delta in the Netherlands for the first time. This was made feasible thanks to the Rijkswaterstaat’s assistance. As a result, from now on, annual reports will include a full examination of Rhine transit volumes from Basel to the North Sea. This allows for a more complete study to be made per Rhine stretch, as well as a better understanding of the dynamics of goods transport per product category along the Rhine. We are grateful for this new collaboration, which will only strengthen the quality of our reports in the coming years.
The full report is linked below.
Call for evidence: EU cross-border regions – solutions to overcome legal and administrative obstacles
Symbolic picture by Dimitrisvetsikas1969 on Pixabay
Interreg programs operate beyond national boundaries. While they provide financial support for new initiatives, they are frequently hampered by administrative and legal difficulties caused by various legal and administrative regimes on either side of a boundary. As a result, some projects cannot be completed, and there is a negative impact on the well-being of the border people and the functioning of the single market. To remove these impediments, an EU legal instrument is required.A new legislation that establishes a uniform mechanism for resolving impediments would ensure that EU residents residing in border areas receive a response (positive or negative) from their Member State. At the same time, Member States should always have the authority to decide whether or not to address an impediment and how to do so. Member States should also be able to depend on existing structures to resolve border-related issues.
The current plan would revise the 2018 proposal to address the concerns voiced by the Council, while also following up on the European Parliament’s legislative initiative.
The target audience is stakeholders in border regions. That includes regional and local
administrations, Interreg authorities and projects, civil society and NGOs. Cross-border legal structures, like European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation would be another specific target group.
As such, this presents an opportunity for members in border regions to share their perspective and actively contribute to the shaping of this legislature.
Source:
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135215
Germany: Faster approval procedures decided in the transport sector
Symbolic picture by Marconst on Pixabay
The Bundestag passed a package of measures to expedite approval procedures in the transportation sector on Friday, October 20, 2023. The German government’s bill (20/6879) to “implement Directive (EU) 2021 / 1187 on the streamlining of measures to accelerate the implementation of the trans-European transport network” was adopted.
The legislation that has been ratified incorporates modifications to the following statutes: the Federal Highway Act, the General Railway Act, the Federal Railroad Expansion Act, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the Water Resources Act, the Infrastructure Company Establishment Act, and the Coal Regions Investment Act.
Source(in German):
https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2023/kw42-de-verkehrsnetz-971384