Member of the European Parliament Corien Wortmann-Kool has added her voice to INE’s call for the establishment of a European subsidy programme for inland shipping. This will redeem the European Commission’s two year old pledge to invest in inland navigation.
Wortmann-Kool has asked that the subsidy form part of the 2010 budget, offering as a motivation the fact that Marco-Polo, the subsidy programme meant to encourage the shift of freight from road to other more environmentally friendly modalities such as inland shipping projects has not yet had the desired effect on the sector.
By the recommendation of the transport commission in the European Parliament, extra money must be made available for subsidies to inland navigation.
'Inland waterway transport would make good use of this shot in the back. It is especially important in this time of economic crisis which as hit inland shipping hard’, said Wortmann-Kool.
Parliament will have to consider Wortmann-Kool’s proposal in the coming months.

≡  Website of Corien Wortmann
≡  INE statements
≡  EC Marco Polo website