NAIADES II package

NAIADES II package
Key EESC messages
  • The EESC welcomes and supports the measures proposed by the Commission in the Communication and the two legislative proposals, subject to the following recommendations.
  • In the Committee's view, the failure of inland waterway transport to increase its share of the transport market is primarily due to the lack of financial and policy support for the sector in the past.
  • It therefore calls on the Commission to provide inland waterways and the inland waterway sector with sufficient funds – the Committee anticipates that at least 20% would be logical – from the budget for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and certain areas of Horizon 2020 (in particular innovation) to meet the objectives in its programme. It also urges the Commission to support and encourage Member States in maintaining and expanding infrastructure, and to develop new financing mechanisms.
  • Given the major importance of infrastructure in achieving the Commission's objectives, the Committee urges the Member States to shoulder their responsibilities in this area of competence. In this connection, it would point to, amongst other things, the 2010 "Danube Strategy" for boosting the development of the Danube region and the related declaration signed in June 2012.
  • With reference to its opinion on social security in the sector, the Committee calls on all those involved to develop new initiatives in this area. The proposed harmonisation of occupational profiles (based on social dialogue) and coordination of professional qualifications at European level will play a key role here; the Commission will need to put these into effect in close cooperation with river commissions, in particular the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine.
  • The Committee sees the proposals for institutional cooperation between the European Union and the river commissions as a significant development. It urges the institutions concerned to coordinate the various regulatory regimes closely in order to achieve the desired harmonisation.
     

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