The river basins of the Rhine, Seine and Scheldt are among the most developed northern European regions from an economical and industrial perspective. Home to six large seaports from Le Havre to Rotterdam, through which more than 60% of all commercial traffic between the EU and the rest of the world is currently transiting, these regions are a truly commercial gateway into Europe. The crossborder Seine-Scheldt project, once realised, removes a long-lasting bottleneck on one of the most congested transport axis across Europe, hence improving the quality, sustainability and safety of North-South transport and trade flows. This new wide-gauge, continuous link from Le Havre until Antwerp will reinforce the logistics interface between France, Belgium and the Netherlands by increasing commercial freight flows. The project integrates better accessibility of multimodal distribution locations, contributing to the economic blossoming of the territories it travels through.

Follow the works
≡ Seine-Scheldt committee 
≡ Seine-Nord Europe in France
≡ Seine-Scheldt in Belgium 

Preserving the environment: a core priority
"The route followed by the Seine-Nord Europe canal has been carefully selected so as to avoid any interference with Natura 2000 areas. Particular attention has also been paid to ensuring optimal integration of the project into the landscape and ecosystem: creation of vegetal embankments, maintenance of water quality and protection of aquatic species".
Nicolas Bour, Project Leader Mission Seine Nord Europe, Voies Navigables de France

Strengthening the European economy and competitiveness
Advanced economic studies conducted by Voies Navigables de France demonstrate that the positive economic impacts of the Seine-Nord Europe project will directly benefit up to 40% to partner countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany...).

Answering a well-identified demand: business wants inland waterways!
"87% of approached French companies consider that the development of inland waterways requires new and more adequate infrastructure. In addition, 75% of surveyed companies indicated their willingness to increasingly resort to barge transport."
From a survey carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers on behalf of Voies Navigables de France