EFIP ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011 EFIP. European Federation of Inland Ports Fédération Européenne des Ports Intérieurs Europäischer Verband der Binnenhäfen

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1 EFIP ANNUAL REPORT European Federation of Inland Ports Fédération Européenne des Ports Intérieurs Europäischer Verband der Binnenhäfen EFIP European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) Tel.: Fax: Treurenberg 6 B-1000 Brussel/Bruxelles info@inlandports.be /2011

2 EFIP ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011

3 Table of Content Foreword 3 Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area 4 Review of the Trans-European Transport Network Policy 6 Inland Waterway Transport Policy 8 Railway Policy 12 Policy on Urban Freight Transport and Logistics 16 Sustainable Development Policy 17 EU Strategy for the Danube Region 18 Partnerhsips and Platforms 19 EFIP Inside 20 The Year in Pictures 22 Good News about EFIP s Members 24 EFIP s Structure 28 EFIP s Members 29 The European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) brings together more than 200 inland ports and port authorities in 19 countries of the European Union, Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine. The unique voice of inland ports in Europe Since 1994 EFIP is acting as the unique voice of the inland ports in Europe. EFIP highlights and promotes the role of inland ports as nodal points for intermodal transport, combining road, rail, maritime and inland waterway transport. EFIP actively follows all developments in EU policy and is developing and defending common positions on European policy issues of importance for inland ports and their economic and business environment. EFIP represents the inland ports to the European institutions. EFIP is also representing the inland ports to other national and international organisations, such as the Economic Commission of the United Nations for Europe, the Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine and the Danube Commission. An important information network for and about inland ports EFIP is the nodal point between the inland ports and the European institutions. In that respect EFIP informs its members about any move in European transport policy of interest for inland ports. At the same time, EFIP is informing European policy makers about what is going on in inland ports. Moreover the EFIP information network can be used by its members to exchange information about relevant calls for proposals, participation in projects and can facilitate project partner search. A promoter of inland ports EFIP is promoting inland ports, their activities and their role in the national and international economy. EFIP aims at increasing the visibility of inland ports towards the European transport, political and business environment. For more information, please contact: European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) Treurenberg 6, B-1000 Brussel/Bruxelles Tel.: Fax: info@inlandports.be 2

4 Port of Strasbourg Foreword By Roland Hoerner EFIP President Most of the European inland ports ended the year 2010 with a good feeling. They succeeded in recovering from the economic crisis. Some ports were even breaking new throughput records. But even if figures and percentages reveal a lot, they do not tell everything. The European inland ports also succeeded in setting up new projects, attracting new investments, joining forces between inland ports and stepping up partnerships with seaports. We must hope that these investments and projects are sustainable and solid enough to face new challenges that our economy could be facing over the next years. A federation like EFIP though cannot measure its success and its achievements in percentages. But I believe one does not have to see figures to understand that EFIP has been very active last year and its re-organisation of 2009 delivered last year its first results in terms of visibility and recognition of the role inland ports are to play in the European transport and logistics market. The EFIP Inland Port Regatta that we organised last autumn was a real success. Through this event which gathered a lot of high level European policy makers, the European inland ports succeeded in raising their profile and in showing their engagement in playing their role, not only operational as node in a sustainable co-modal transport network, but also politically, by being present in Brussels, at the heart of the European policy making. This working year, EFIP had the opportunity to work in close cooperation with the Belgian and Hungarian Council Presidencies who both have been putting inland waterway transport and inland ports high on their transport policy agenda s. The presence and support of Belgian government representatives at our Regatta as well as the support that was subsequently given by the Hungarian Presidency to our meeting in Paks in April of this year has been very important for EFIP and its members. This year EFIP continued to promote the role inland ports can and should play in the new Trans-European Transport Network. It is crucial for inland ports to be fully integrated and visible in both the new core and comprehensive TEN-T network. And we do hope that the support that was given by the European Commission for our plea during the past year will be enshrined in the TEN-T proposal. In spring the European Commission adopted its roadmap for Europe s Transport policy for the coming decades. It is clear that the development of this White Paper did not happen overnight. It is a solid document, which has allowed EFIP to wind up the debate among its members on different interesting even if sometimes controversial - issues and to contribute to the European debates with a clear position. This year EFIP has also been able to strengthen its mandate by welcoming again new members. The Hungarian Port of Paks joined our Federation. In autumn this year EFIP will officially welcome Verejné Prístavy, the Slovakian public port authority governing the Ports of Bratislava, Komárno and Štúrovo. NV De Scheepvaart, manager of an important part of the Flemish waterways, also decided to rejoin EFIP. To conclude, I wish to thank all our members for their active support for the work and activities of EFIP and their valuable contributions to reaching workable decisions within EFIP. Also great thanks to the secretariat for their good work and excellent achievements during the past working year. I hope you enjoy reading this annual report. 3

5 I. Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area "Transport 2050 is a roadmap for a competitive transport sector that increases mobility and cuts emissions. We can and we must do both. The widely held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true. Competitive transport systems are vital for Europe's ability to compete in the world, for economic growth, job creation and for peoples' everyday quality of life. Curbing mobility is not an option; neither is business as usual. Siim Kallas, Commission Vice President responsible for transport, at the occasion of the launch of the White Paper 2011 The Commission s vision and goals are ambitious on distance In 2009 already, the Commission started with a wide reflection on the Future of the European Transport Policy in view of preparing a new White Paper on Transport. The Commission s Vice President responsible for Transport, Siim Kallas, pursued during this working year the in-depth work in view of developing a strategy for the transport policy for the decades to come. The final result was adopted and presented by Commissioner Kallas on 28 March of this year. The Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system 1 sets different goals for different types of journey - within cities, between cities, and long distance - and has developed a set of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decade to build a competitive transport system that will increase mobility and remove major barriers in many key areas as transport infrastructure and investment, innovation and the internal market. At the same time, the Commission aims at dramatically reducing Europe's dependence on imported oil and cutting carbon emissions in transport by 60% by COM (2011) 144 final EFIP s response to the Commission s Transport White Paper Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area. In June 2011 EFIP adopted its response to the Commission s White Paper. In its response the European inland ports welcome the White Paper s main and ambitious vision to both support mobility and reduce emissions. The White Paper s plea for clarity on the future policy frameworks and for coherence at EU level will allow inland ports to draw up sustainable and strong investment plans and is the best way to attract new investments in inland ports and the inland waterway transport sector in general. EFIP particularly welcomes the issue of urban logistics. In its reaction to the White Paper, the inland ports however emphasise that a policy on sustainable urban freight and logistics should not be limited to the last urban mile. The strategy announced by the Commission should be accompanied by a strategy for bringing goods in a sustainable way towards city centres. Moreover, by making a benchmark of having all core seaports sufficiently connected to rail and inland waterway transport by 2050, the European Commission is giving an important signal. This will obviously help inland ports in playing their role as hinterland hub for the big seaports. On one point however, the Commission s vision is lacking ambition. For inland ports, the goal of limiting the modal shift (30% by 2030, 50% by 2050) to the long distance ( > 300 km) road transport segment, is not at all ambitious. By focusing on the over 300 km market segment, the Commission abandons the idea of using alternative modes 4

6 in what constitutes, even in an internal market the gross of road freight movements. Moreover, this long distance target ignores the current reality. Many existing examples show that there are vast volumes going by Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) and rail from seaports to inland ports on short and medium distances. Moreover inland waterway transport between inland ports often goes over very short distances. Finally, inland ports play an increasingly important role in urban freight logistics, where distances covered by barge are often between 5 and 50 km. EFIP believes other factors (volume, products, transhipment facilities,. ) are far more decisive for choosing a transport mode. Therefore EFIP demands to develop a policy in support of an optimal modal split regardless of the distance. Looking at the 40 initiatives put forward in the Roadmap 2050, the European Federation of Inland Ports: Gives its full support for the plans of the Commission to optimise the internal market for inland waterway transport. Improving the inland waterway infrastructure in view of optimising the navigability of the European waterways is a first priority. In addition, European inland ports plead for a gradual harmonisation of EU navigation rules. Welcomes the idea of creating a quality label for inland and maritime ships, but believes that linking it to a favourable treatment or lower port dues should remain a port decision and not an EU mandatory policy. States that there is a clear sense of urgency in achieving a single European Railway area. Wants the free maritime movement in and around Europe not to stop at the seaport. Inland waterway transport should be integrated in the blue belt concept; The final aim should be to evolve towards a Blue network. Asks for a de minimis approach when reviewing the policy on state aid, transparency and concessions in inland ports. Considers the attention that is to be given to inland ports in the TEN-T review as a recognition of the role inland ports are playing and are ready to play as high quality intermodal connecting points. To inland ports the EU obligation to go forward with a project that is part of the Core network is fundamental. Stresses the need to develop a recognised model of carbon foot print calculator in view of avoiding the proliferation of different models and the green washing of certain transport operations as a result of unclear calculation models. Supports initiatives to measure and compare the external costs of transport. Taking the externalities into account in the transport costs will help transport users in finding the transport modes that are best for both the economy and the environment. Sees however no point in and no way of extending the internalisation of external costs to the ports as such. This would lead in essence to a double charging since the businesses and industrial installations in the port are already subject to sectoral environmental legislation and taxation regimes. Welcomes the development of a strategy for near zero-emission urban logistics if this strategy is also focusing on greening the transport towards the city centres and not only on the urban last mile. EFIP fully backs the approach to bring together, amongst others, aspects of planning, rail and river access when defining this strategy. Highlights the importance of the interoperability of intelligent transport systems and new technologies across different modes. Pleads for a close cooperation with the neighbouring countries of the EU, when developing an EU inland waterway transport policy, since EU waterways often do not stop at the EU borders. Further steps During its June meeting, the Transport Council held a debate on the White Paper. The views of Member States were summarised in a synthesis document of the Hungarian Presidency. The European Parliament from its side started to debate the White Paper before summer. The rapporteur, Mathieu Grosch (BE, EPP) is presenting his report in September. This will allow the Parliament to adopt its final opinion before the end of the year. The Commission is due to develop a working programme on the basis of the White Paper for the next years. EFIP will be following closely the further discussions in the European Parliament and the working programme of the European Commission. Port of Basel 5

7 2. Review of the Trans-European Transport Network Policy Inland ports are very well placed and ready to take up the function of transport market place " The upcoming review of the Trans-European Transport Network policy has been at the heart of EFIP s agenda during this working year. EFIP has put a lot of efforts in underlining the essential role inland ports can and should play as comodal node in a real multimodal TEN-T network. Taking into consideration the reality of economic and transport flows it is clear that a sustainable but efficient transport policy cannot be based on one mode. A 100% shift from road to rail, inland waterway or maritime transport is not realistic. Integration is the codeword to boost the potential of Inland Waterway Transport, rail and maritime transport. Integrating the different transport modes implies in the first place the creation and further development of efficient interfaces. Freight transport users, shippers, need a market place where they can make choices, they can combine in function of the product, the destination, the client, the cost (both internal and external). European inland ports are very well placed and ready to take up this function of transport market place. Inland ports should therefore play an important role as node in the comodal sustainable transport chain and have a crucial role in achieving a real comodal TEN-T network. European Commission TEN-T Consultation As already announced in last year s annual report, in September 2010 EFIP submitted its response to the second consultation round that was organised by the Commission in preparation of the TEN-T review. EFIP s response to the planning and implementation of the new TEN-T policy On 19 January, the European Commission issued a document setting out a concrete proposal for the planning methodology and implementation of the new TEN-T policy. Based on its responses given to the 2009 and 2010 consultations of the European Commission regarding the future of the TEN-T, EFIP examined this methodology paper of the European Commission and submitted its remarks. ports in both the definition of the comprehensive and core network. EFIP backs the idea to include inland ports at the crossing of two core links (IWT-rail, IWT-road, ) as secondary nodes in the core network. The role inland ports are to play in the TEN-T network can be defined as follows: inland ports are high quality nodes in the integration of transport modes, they facilitate co-modal operations and enhance the links between national networks, in particular in cross-border sections of the TEN-T network. They often have a hinterland hub function to and from the big seaports and increasingly serve as sustainable transport node (access and exit gate, logistic hub) between the long distance transport and the urban last mile. In their response, the European inland ports more specifically urged each Member State to submit to the European Commission áll the inland ports and inland waterways meeting the thresholds for inclusion into the comprehensive network. In the long run, such an inclusion into the TEN-T network can only benefit the ports, the waterways and consequently the Member States. To EFIP, the policy put forward by the European Commission in support of better identifying the nodes in the network needs the support from the Member States. EFIP furthermore considers a transhipment volume of tonnes for the comprehensive TEN-T network as a fair minimum threshold. But it encourages the Commission not only to consider the inland waterway transport volumes but also the railway transhipment volumes, above all for inland ports on waterways in development which cannot meet the thresholds on the waterside, with the current state of the infrastructure. In addition, the European inland ports ask the Commission to consider inland port clusters as well when deciding which ports are reaching the thresholds for inclusion in the TEN-T network. Increasingly ports are working together to enhance their role as hinterland hub towards the big seaports. In some cases, inland ports are developing a cross-border cooperation, which often put the finger on and contribute in solving the remaining interoperability problems in cross border sections of the TEN-T network. In its response, EFIP reiterates its full support for the rationale of this review, namely: to modernise the network and boost its genuine integration into the internal market, to take into account the new EU territory by better linking East and West, to work towards decarbonising transport and to put more emphasis on nodes (inland and seaports, urban nodes). The European Federation of Inland Ports welcomes the attention that is given in this planning document to inland 6

8 Another important remark concerns the role of the urban nodes (capitals, Metropolitan Growth Areas, ) in the TEN-T network. To EFIP, urban nodes should play an important role in the core network. It should however be clear that these urban nodes can only play a core role in the TEN-T network if they have the infrastructure and/or the potential for accommodating network links, interconnecting transport nodes and enhancing multimodality and if they play their role in connecting long distance transport with regional and local transport. EFIP also asks the Commission to develop a review scenario. Inland ports that are developing as multimodal transport nodes and building up their throughputs steadily should be given the perspective to adhere to the TEN-T network (comprehensive and core network) once they meet the criteria. To encourage the development of an efficient, multimodal and sustainable TEN-T network, the definition of the comprehensive and the core network should therefore include a dynamic element. Further steps It is expected that the actual Commission proposal, the new TEN-T maps as well as the proposal regarding the financing of the TEN-T will come out in October. EFIP hopes that the support that was expressed by the Commission for the integration of inland ports in the comprehensive and core TEN-T network during the preparatory phase will be formalised in the proposal and the accompanying maps. EFIP will step up its efforts in view of ensuring that the inland ports are well integrated in the TEN-T network during the legislative process in the European Parliament and the Council. Moreover, EFIP pleads for a complete network approach when developing and improving the core inland waterway corridors. Attention has to be given to the integration of these inland waterway corridors into the overall TEN-T network and to the fluid link and interconnection with existing infrastructure and primary nodes in the network. Finally, EFIP stresses the importance of aligning the Cohesion fund allocation with the TEN-T priorities, avoiding as such that the Cohesion fund in the field of transport would feed other transport projects and priorities than the ones proposed and supported by this TEN-T review. EFIP s plea to integrate the Elbe river in the TEN-T core network Supported by the whole community of waterways, users and operators as well as the Union of Chambers of Commerce & Industry along the rivers Elbe and Oder in the European Union, EFIP sent on 2 May 2011 an open letter to Commissioner Siim Kallas urging the European Commission to fully integrate the Elbe river in the new TEN-T core network. In the open letter, the signatories said they strongly believe that the Elbe waterway fully fits into the multimodal corridor approach Hamburg-Leipzig- Prague, as put forward by the European Commission. They stressed the need to develop the Elbe as navigable river in view of unlocking the waterborne access of the Czech Republic and link the Czech Republic with the sea. Furthermore, the initiators pointed out that the development of inland waterway transport to and from the Czech Republic is needed to meet growing transport demands in a sustainable way. This growing demand cannot be met with rail transport only. Finally, the open letter points out that the integration of the Elbe would better link Eastern and Western Europe and promote growth in the region. Port of Lille 7

9 Competitiveness of inland navigation may be promoted by well-developed and well-equipped ports. Ports represent key intermodal nodes within the transport and logistics chains. They play an important role in the integrated transport chain which is built around production and distribution centres. Pál Völner, Minister of State for Infrastructure of the Hungarian Ministry of National Development 3. Inland Waterway Transport Policy EFIP congratulates both the Belgian and Hungarian Presidency of the Union for having put inland waterway transport policy high on their political agenda. The Council Presidency initiatives have clearly activated the reflection on the follow-up of the Naïades programme. Informal Transport Council in Antwerp On 15 and 16 September 2010, the Ministers of Transport of the 27 Member States gathered in Antwerp for an informal Council meeting on the theme Towards full integration of waterborne transport into the EU transport and logistics chains. In preparation of this meeting the Belgian Presidency of the European Union had submitted a series of questions to the Member States. EFIP submitted an answer to these questions which was sent to the different government representatives. EFIP s concerns were largely shared by Brigitte Grouwels, the Brussels Minister who represented Belgium at this Informal Council Meeting and opened the session with a speech about the bottlenecks for co-modal transport in the logistics chain. As Brussels Minister competent for the Port of Brussels, she emphasised the link between sea and inland ports and warned her colleagues about the difficult balance between port and town development. In addition, Minister Grouwels made five specific recommendations in support of the European inland ports. She asked for sufficient free space on the waterside to be allocated to water-related economic activities and not only to recreational or residential activities. She pointed out that ports must also be able to count on financial support for their integration in an urban environment. She pleaded for a continuation of the policy to recover external costs for the different modes of transport and further stressed the need to integrate short sea shipping into the logistics chain by removing infrastructural bottlenecks for coastal navigation. Finally, she pleaded for a reallocation of the non-used funds from the Motorways of the Seas and Marco Polo programmes to the development of co-modal nodes, thus avoiding the need to increase the overall EU budget. Non-Ministerial Conference of the Hungarian Presidency in Esztergom On 6 April, the Hungarian EU Presidency organised a Non-Ministerial Conference on the integration of inland waterways into the economy in Hungary. The Conference was held on the eve of EFIP s Executive Committee meeting in Paks. This gave EFIP and its members the opportunity to participate actively in this high level conference. The Conference led to a series of Council conclusions that were adopted on 17 June in Luxemburg. These conclusions stress among others the need to improve navigability by removing existing bottlenecks along inland waterways and to establish intermodal connections from sea and inland ports to the hinterland, in particular links with rail, optimising ports as key modal interfaces and working towards full integration of logistic chains through the intelligent use of different transport modes and systems, based on their inherent characteristics. In its conclusions the Transport Council is also asking the Commission to develop a follow-up of the Naiades II programme in which it should address the following issues: fleet modernisation, strengthening of the market position of the sector, human resources development, River Information Services, safety and environment, adaptation to climate 8

10 Bayernhafen change, modal integration and logistics, innovation and infrastructure, institutional and legal framework, external dimensions, communication and awareness-raising directed towards the industry, decision-makers and the general public. EFIP s views on the integration of inland waterway transport into the EU transport and logistical chain and into the economy European inland ports are thé inland waterway station by excellence for getting freight on and of the waterway. Since most of European inland ports are not only linking water with road but also with railways, inland ports are facilitating the integration of inland waterway transport into the comodal transport chain. In essence, European inland ports have a triple function: Comodal Hub on the European Inland Waterway Corridors: inland ports serve as efficient transhipment nodes on the European inland waterway corridors. They are the interface between IWT, the maritime leg and the other land modes of transport. Ideal business platform for the region: inland ports are functioning as the nodal point for the regional economy. Being at the crossroad between different transport modes, they often attract important businesses and suppliers of goods and services for the regional economy. Next to their transport and logistic function and because of this function they become an ideal location for businesses who want to be close to the market and the European transport corridors. An efficient bridge between sustainable long distance transport and the urban last mile: inland ports situated in an EU capital or major urban agglomeration make it possible to bring the urban freight by water right into (or near to) the city centres, limiting as such the road transport to the last mile. By exploiting the potential of a city inland port, the urban freight avoids the congestion barrier around the big agglomerations and limits the use of road transport to a minimum. For these reasons the European Federation of Inland Ports strongly believes that inland ports play a major role in integrating inland waterway transport into the transport chain and into the economy. For EFIP the removal of all obstacles to a better integration of the different transport modes (infrastructure, legislative, administrative, operational, and technological) is one of the first priorities to foster the potential of inland ports as interface between both maritime and IWT and the other transport modes. EFIP pleads furthermore for room for more business in the field of inland waterway transport. This means infrastructure in the first place and space to operate in the second place. Infrastructure refers essentially to adapted waterways responding to the needs of the waterway transport and well-equipped and efficient inland ports on the way. Space refers more to the space along the river to access the waterway, to load and unload, to shift from one mode to another and to offer the logistic services needed to make waterborne transport a competitive alternative for road transport. Inland ports are also often urban ports. They therefore receive fierce competition from other urban functions for the limited space available at the waterside. EFIP further believes that the lack of knowledge and expertise on intermodal transport solutions mistakenly feeds the image of intermodal transport as a complex and costly solution. It is therefore important that shippers and businesses are making their way to intermodal transport solutions including inland waterway transport. This implies that the companies can count on experts (in-house or external) setting up a competitive, sustainable and reliable transport chain for their company/client. In addition, European inland ports continue to be in favour of calculating the correct price of externalities of all modes and means of transport. Taking these externalities into account in the transport costs will help transport users in finding transport alternatives that are best for the economy and the environment. Some inland ports are open to short sea shipping (SSS). To stimulate short sea shipping on the inland waterway network (coasters), the network should eliminate infrastructure bottlenecks that exist for this type of vessels: the height of bridges, the dimensions of locks, the creation of dedicated berths for short sea vessels in the hinterland. The hinterland connections, including infrastructure and equipment up to the inland terminals, should be an integral part of the socalled Motorways of the Sea. Market information about potential new SSS links to the hinterland should be easily made available by the short sea promotion centres. 9

11 Port of Bratislava Moreover, EFIP highlights the importance of the interoperability of intelligent transport systems and new technologies across the different transport modes. Inland ports believe that a modern supply chain management needs transparent information among all modes. The information that seems useful in that respect is: status of loading, actual position of vessel, expected time of arrival, Getting this information in time would enhance the smooth functioning of the inland ports. The use of advanced ITS solutions implies however an investment for the barge owners and operators. For small barges (ex. Freycinet type barges) such an investment can become a problem. Besides, barge operators are often considering these ITS systems as a way to control their operations and are reluctant to share data that are commercially sensitive. As a result, a further development and use of ITS should tackle both this financial and the confidentiality concern. European inland ports recognise that the development and use of inland waterway infrastructure must take place in full respect of the European environmental legislation. It is however unacceptable to use European environmental legislation as a tool to constantly challenge permit granting procedures. Permit granting procedures should therefore provide clear rules on how and within which time limits projects have to be agreed on. Given approvals should not be questioned afterwards. Moreover the challenge by one Member State of a project of European interest, blocking the development of the whole project, should be dealt with at cross border or European level if needed. The modernisation of the inland navigation fleet is important but this must go hand in hand with the modernisation of the port infrastructure and the development of the inland waterway fairway, where needed. Projects and initiatives looking into new technological solutions in the field of inland waterway transport (ex. accessibility of small waterways, barges equipped with a crane, ) should gain the full support. EFIP opposes however a too mandatory modernisation scheme that would face barge owners with enormous investments. The modernisation has to be based on voluntary schemes and has to be adapted to the needs of the market. Overinvestments and too ambitious barge renewal schemes could have an adverse effect on the further development of the inland waterway transport in Europe. Moreover, adequate information on the possibilities of financing of new barges is needed. As concerns the education and labour market situation in the sector, EFIP points out that the long learning period (ex. 3 years on French inland waterways and 4 years on the Rhine) to become a captain makes it very costly for barge operators to invest in new people. Without giving in on quality and security, the length and modalities of this training should be reconsidered. In some areas, especially on the Danube, there is a shortage of education centers. To foresee one education vessel for the whole Danube region could be a solution. 10

12 Port of Mantova Further steps The action programme NAIADES to support a better use of inland waterway transport, will come to an end in The European Commission has started the preparation work for a follow-up programme as of On 5 July the European Commission organised a hearing on a future policy to promote inland waterway transport in Europe. At the same time the Commission is organising a consultation until 1 September inviting interested stakeholders to share their views and opinions on the follow-up programme of Naïades. The aim of the new programme is to address the outstanding action areas taking into account the new Transport White Paper. Even if it is still very unclear how the follow-up programme will look like, it seems to be quite clear at this stage that support measures will go essentially to infrastructure and innovation. The Commission plans to present a proposal for the new action programme before the end of

13 4. Railway Policy "It is one of politics most bewildering facts that we can deliver throughout the European Union the single market in numerous areas, but we cannot deliver it in the railway sector." Brian Simpson, Chairman of the Transport Committee of the European Parliament The Single European Railway Area: no more time to lose! European inland ports are more than just a transhipment platform on the waterway. In most of the cases, European inland ports are connected with the national and European railway network. For some inland ports the railway transhipment activities are as (or even more) important as the inland waterway transport activities. In any case, to play their role as comodal node in the multimodal transport network, inland ports must be able to rely on a solid railway infrastructure network linking the port to the overall EU railway network and on efficient railway services. Hence their interest in Europe s railways and the policy governing it. Since seaports and inland ports are broadly speaking faced with the same challenges and the same problems when it comes to railways, EFIP decided to prepare a joint position paper with the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). To this aim a joint working group was set up end In spring the working group finalised their position paper which was then approved by the governing bodies of EFIP and ESPO in May. After having identified the different concerns port authorities have with the current functioning of the European railways, the port authorities develop in their joint position a series of recommendations. Finally the joint paper is zooming into the Commission s proposal to review the first railway package, the so-called recast proposal. Joint Position of EFIP and ESPO For ports, there is a clear sense of urgency in achieving a single European railway network. A European railway area without barriers seems to be the best way to guarantee an efficient use of the existing railway capacity. The remaining barriers, both legal, technical and political, should be lifted without further delay. This is the main message the European seaports and inland ports want to send to the European policy makers in view of the discussions that are taking place in the European Parliament and the Council since the beginning of 2011 on the proposal to review the first railway package, the so-called recast-proposal. EFIP and ESPO fully support the recast proposal of the Commission. They even want to go a step further. In their joint position paper, the port authorities identify the main challenges and concerns European seaports and inland ports are facing today regarding the functioning of the European railways: Today, rail still has a national approach. The cross border problems and lack of interoperability between the different railway systems are clearly hampering a fluid cargo flow by rail from the ports to the hinterland. Existing constraints in border crossing relate to different rail gauges, traction energy, train length, train controlling systems, rolling stock, operational rules, train crew certification, etc. The investments in rail freight infrastructure are not always demand-driven. Newcomers nor port authorities are sufficiently involved in the planning of investments in railway infrastructure. Moreover the quality of the infrastructure and the tracks does not always meet the demands of the market and the function it has to fulfill. Often the incumbent undertaking still enjoys a preferential treatment in receiving slot access to the network and good timetables at the dispatching centres of the infrastructure manager. Track pricing is not always transparent and fair. The European railway system consists of a patchwork of all different track pricing regimes. The track price is not always related to the quality of the path or the service. There is a low level of reliability for non prescheduled rail freight trains (ad hoc slots). This is especially a problem for inland ports and terminals, since they are often located further in the transport chain. The last rail miles linking the rail terminal outside the port area with the port area are often characterised by old infrastructure and bad equipment. Sometimes the tracks are not electrified, which means that only diesel locomotives can be used to make the link with the port area. The limited infrastructure makes rail operations on these last miles very complicated (burdensome security rules, etc). Often rail undertakings are not willing or not able to access the ports and are dependent on the unique railway undertaking bridging the rail terminal with the port area ( opérateur ferroviaire de proximité ). The lack of competition on this part of the network has an effect on the price. Using rail to link the long distance transport with the last urban mile implies the presence of enough consolidation, distribution and logistics space in or near the urban areas. Moreover, rail freight often crosses urban areas in transit since it uses the same tracks as the passenger rail transport. The space as well as the local environmental effects (noise, vibrations ) are often difficult issues for local authorities and citizens. Rail has problems to meet the demand for short distance journeys (<100 km). The transport from and to the port is not always a long distance transport. The big challenge for rail freight is to attract the important 12

14 market segment of the shorter freight journeys. Up to now, rail seems not to be always ready to fulfill this function. The lack of flexibility when using rail freight services plays here a role. Often, train paths for rail shuttles have to be reserved one year in advance. Here inland waterway transport and road are far more flexible. There is a lack of statistical information on rail cargo, their destinations and volumes. Based on these concerns, ESPO and EFIP have developed a list of recommendations: ESPO-EFIP supports the attempts to simplify the current EU legislative framework on railways. A real European approach will avoid diverging interpretations by Member States and limit the risk of having new barriers. The European Commission should step up its efforts to monitor the implementation of the European regulatory framework. Market failures should be addressed promptly. The rail links to and from the port area should be optimised in view of guaranteeing a non-discriminatory access for all railway undertakings to the port area. Improving these links should be seen as an important element of completion of the TEN-T network. Awaiting a full European interoperable railway system, a pragmatic regime of cross acceptance of operational rules at local level is needed to enhance the railway links between cross-border ports (ex. Strasbourg-Kehl) in the short run. These shortterm solutions at local level should not jeopardise the overall aim of achieving a full interoperable railway system. The corridor approach should not result in corridor barriers instead of national barriers. The corridor approach should be considered as a step towards a genuine European policy and railway network. As concerns the recast proposal of the European Commission, ESPO-EFIP ask for: The full unbundling of the railway infrastructure and the operations. The current provisions still allow for situations where the infrastructure managers remain hostage of the rail operation branch of the incumbent railway undertaking. Infrastructure managers and rail operations services cannot be housed under the same mother company or holding. Port of Enns 13

15 A transparent role of the infrastructure manager. The harmonised list of essential functions will enhance this transparency. Moreover, the infrastructure managers should avoid taking decisions that are in conflict with Europe s Infrastructure Policy. A railway strategy based on a genuine European approach. The medium and long-term infrastructure strategy, to be developed by the Member States should be based on Europe s infrastructure policy. It should also distinguish clearly between rail passengers and rail freight transport. Finally port authorities, applicants and potential applicants of the railway infrastructure should be proactively involved in this exercise. A non discriminatory access to the rail related services in the port. ESPO and EFIP support the Commission proposals on rail-related services. Rail-related services in ports, such as shunting and marshalling yards, fuelling, maintenance, storage sidings, servicing, should indeed be equally open to all rail undertakings. The use-orlose-it principle, as put forward in the Commission proposal, can be an interesting instrument to guarantee an optimal use of railrelated services. A conflict of interest may rise when one of these rail-related services is in the hands or under control of the incumbent undertaking. This can affect newcomers who are disadvantaged through higher prices, reduced access or less service. It remains however to be seen what the modalities of such a principle should be. Looking at freight terminals, a distinction should be made between on-dock terminals (seaside or waterborne terminals) and off-dock terminals (hub terminals). Whereas the access to on-dock rails should not be limited to one rail undertaking, ESPO and EFIP believe that dedicated rail tracks on the on-dock terminals, which are only used by the undertaking of the on-dock terminal, should be excluded from the scope of the provisions on rail-related services. It seems logical that a privately owned railway infrastructure is only used for transporting freight that arrived by ship at this terminal. Neighbouring terminals should only have access to this terminal and its rail tracks if the on-dock terminal operator agrees. The railway infrastructure on public on-dock terminals which are used by different companies for loading and unloading ships should however be open for all users. A transparent charging system for using railway infrastructure. The setting of charges for the use of infrastructure should guarantee a level playing field between different Member States, different ports, different applicants of railway infrastructure. European ports mainly operate on an international basis. An increased coordination between infrastructure managers when it comes to establishing charges for the use of infrastructure is therefore considered as a priority. Port of Bratislava 14

16 Not to allow higher charges ( mark-up ) for international railway services than for domestic services. In an open European market, international rail freight journeys should not cost more than domestic journeys for the infrastructure managers. Besides, by making international journeys more expensive, one could indirectly make the call on domestic ports cheaper than the use of ports in the neighbouring countries. On the other hand, ports of small Member States would be disadvantaged if crossing a national barrier can give rise to a higher charge. ESPO- EFIP therefore oppose the differentiation between domestic and international services for the setting of the charges. Further steps It is expected that the report of MEP Debora Serracchiani (IT, S&D) as amended will be voted by the European Parliament in autumn. The most controversial point in the discussions relates to the degree of separation of infrastructure management and rail transport operations. The Council already reached a first agreement at their meeting in June. The general approach of the Council is not at all going in the direction of a separation of infrastructure and operations. In their views, independence does not have to imply the establishment of a separate legal body and may be fulfilled with the organisation of distinct divisions within a single undertaking. While the Commission from its side is pleading for the full separation in its White Paper, it does not want to enforce it as part of this recast proposal, but to be subject of a separate Commission proposal. 15 Port of Frankfurt

17 5. The Policy on Urban Freight Transport and Logistics "The recreational and residential functions of the waterside must not come at the expense of the crucial development of the inland ports as co-modal nodes" Brigitte Grouwels, Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Public Works, Transport and the Port of Brussels Last working year, EFIP has put a lot of efforts in underlining the role inland ports can play when it comes to developing sustainable freight transport solutions for European towns and their citizens. Urban freight transport issues remain together with the fragile balance between the logistic needs of the town and the other urban functions (real estate, recreation, ) important topics for EFIP and its members. On 16 and 17 November 2010 the Belgian Presidency of the European Union organised a Conference on the topic. EFIP was involved in the preparation of this conference and participated together with different members in this Conference. On 16 September of this year, five European capitals Brussels, Berlin, Budapest, Paris and Vienna - will sign a Charter by which they engage themselves to enhance the use of inland waterway transport and their inland port for bringing freight in and out the city. Connecting with Waterways: a Capital Choice is an initiative of the Brussels-Capital Region that is being developed in close cooperation with EFIP. Ports of Paris 16

18 Port of Liège 6. Sustainable Development Policy As entry/exit gate to sustainable transport modes, inland ports attach a lot of importance to sustainable transport. EFIP s views on important issues like the internalisation of external costs, the carbon footprint calculator, etc. are already dealt with in other chapters of this annual report (see mainly chapter I). Environmental guidelines for rivers The development of guidance on how best to ensure that activities related to inland waterways development and their use are compatible with the EU s nature conservation requirements is the main aim of the ad hoc rivers working group, which has been set up in EFIP is following this working group closely and is supporting the views of the stakeholders and experts representing the interest of inland waterway transport. Greenport Conference The active involvement and support of EFIP and its members in the GreenPort Conference has slowly become a tradition. EFIP participated actively in the GreenPort Logistics Conference in Venice in February of this year. At the conference it was demonstrated how ports can beneficially assist the development of low carbon transport and distribution activities. Port authorities were also given further encouragement to develop solutions involving onshore power supply to ships and the supply of LNG as a cleaner fuel for vehicles and vessels. Attention was also given to the developments of integrated corridors and networks as a way to support intermodality and sustainable transport chains. EFIP will also be an active player in the GreenPort Congress, being held and hosted by the Hamburg Port Authority on September

19 7. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region One river, one transport system "The Danube is the world's most international river, and it connects EU members, candidate countries and non EU-members. This strategy should bind all partners, whatever their current status, closer together. The aim is to bring down barriers that prevent the Danube basin tapping its full potential by working more closely and more coherently together." Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Based on the outcome of the different conferences organised during the past working year and the 2010 consultation, in which EFIP participated, the European Commission proposed its strategy to boost the development of the Danube Region on 8 December Member States endorsed the EU Strategy for the Danube Region at the General Affairs Council on 13 April In the Presidency Conclusions, the European Council also gave its blessing to the Strategy on 24 June This marks the beginning of the implementation phase. For each of the 11 priority areas coordinating countries and regions have been appointed. Austria and Romania will be coordinating the inland waterway issues and Slovenia and Serbia the other transport modes (rail, road and air). After a first "coordinators" meeting in May, a first meeting of the priority area 1a To improve mobility and multimodality: Inland waterways took place in Vienna on 21 June. A first annual stakeholder forum is to be held in March The first annual report on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region will be presented at the end of It is without saying that the priority area 1a is the most relevant for EFIP and its members. In the Commission Communication three exemplary targets were defined for this priority area. It now seems that two additional targets would be added. As a result, the targets are: (1) an increase of cargo transport on the river by 20% by 2020 compared to 2010, (2) removal of obstacles to navigability, (3) development of sufficient multimodal terminals at Danube river ports to connect inland waterway transport with road and rail by 2020, (4) implementation of the river information services on the Danube and international exchange of RIS data by 2015 and (5) focus on the shortage of qualified personnel and harmonisation of education standards in inland navigation in the Danube region by EFIP will continue to monitor the implementation of this Strategy and will give its full support to its members in the region, willing to submit projects. 18

20 Port of Krems Strépy-Thieu boat lift 8. Partnerships and Platforms During this working year, EFIP attended and participated actively in different meetings organised by the Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR). In October 2010 EFIP was invited at the Consultative conference of CCNR with the aim of having an exchange of views between CCNR and EFIP on the subject of interest to inland ports. On 8 February, EFIP presented its views on the internalisation of external costs of transport at a technical meeting on the subject that took place in Bonn. As a member of the Steering Committee (SCOM) of Platina, the platform for the implementation of the Naïades programme, EFIP continues to monitor closely the Platina work and developments. 19

21 9. EFIP Inside A new President On 7 October 2010, EFIP s General Assembly elected Roland Hoerner as its new President. Mr Hoerner will be chairing the Federation until autumn Roland Hoerner is Managing Director of the Port of Mannheim since 1998 and Vice President of the German Inland Ports Association (BÖB). EFIP s former President, Willy Robijns has been elected Vice President, together with Carmen Costache, President of the Romanian Inland Ports, Bernard Pacory, Director General of the Ports of Lille and Rainier Reekmans, Commercial Director of the Port of Brussels. EFIP Inland Port Regatta 2010 Linked to its Annual General Assembly, EFIP organised its EFIP Inland Port Regatta 2010 from 6 to 8 October During two days the European Inland Ports visited their Belgian counterparts. In each Belgian port one theme of interest to European inland ports was highlighted and discussed with European policymakers and people from the sector. The aim of the event which was taking place in the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the Union was for EU policy makers to learn more about inland ports and for inland ports to meet and greet with the Brussels European political scene. More than 50 inland ports representatives from 11 countries registered for this meet and greet. A Cocktail Reception in the European Parliament on 6 October marked the start of this event. Commissioner Kallas, Hilde Crevits, Flemish Minister for Transport and Public Works and her Walloon counterpart, Philippe Henry, addressed over 150 guests. The cocktail was hosted by Frieda Brepoels, Isabelle Durant, Saïd el Khadraoui, Mathieu Grosch and Dirk Sterckx, Belgian members of the European Parliament s Transport Committee. On Thursday 7 October, Regatta I took place in Ghent, where participants were welcomed by Daan Schalck, CEO of the Port of Ghent. The aim of this meeting was to discuss the role of inland ports in the future Trans-European Transport Network. EFIP and its members presented their point of view and had a lively discussion about the issue with Jean-Eric Paquet, who has recently been appointed Director of the European Mobility Network in DG MOVE. Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven opened the debate between the inland ports and the European Commission, represented by Dimitrios Theologitis, Head of DG MOVE s unit on maritime policy and ports. On the second day of EFIP s Inland Port Regatta, participants embarked on the ship the Blauwe Reiger in Willebroek for Regatta III. During the boat trip which brought EFIP s members and all other participants from Willebroek to the Port of Brussels, two themes were discussed. In the first place, the European Coordinator for Inland Waterways, Karla Peijs led a discussion with users of inland waterway transport on the potential of using the water. The companies participating in this discussion were Cargill, ArcelorMittal, Wienerberger and Colruyt. Willy Robijns from Waterwegen and Zeekanaal presented the EU project Inlanav, a project to stimulate the use of small inland waterways in North-West Europe. The second theme of that Regatta III was the potential of inland ports as regards urban freight distribution and the relation between port and town. Dirk Sterckx, Member of the European Parliament chaired this part. The Port of Brussels set the scene by presenting a study of the VUB on the environmental benefits linked to using inland waterway transport in Brussels. In addition the results of the German project Binnen_land were presented. Minister Brigitte Grouwels, the Minister of the Brussels-Capital Region responsible for Public Works, Transport and the Port of Brussels participated actively in this Regatta III. During the last part of the regatta, the delegation was welcomed in Strépy, by the Port du Centre et de l Ouest (PACO) and the Port of Namur. The theme of this Regatta IV was inland ports are on the way up!. A visit of the impressive Strépy-Thieu barge lift with Alain Lefebvre, CEO of PACO, marked the end of this Regatta. After a visit by boat of the Port of Ghent, the delegation headed for the Port of Liège, where the cooperation between inland ports and seaports was on the agenda of Regatta II. Emile-Louis Bertrand, CEO of the Port of Liège set the scene by presenting his views on the topic. This was followed by a presentation of Medlinkports, the cooperation between Marseille and the inland ports in its hinterland. After these two presentations, ESPO's 20

22 EFIP s Executive Committee meeting in Paks From 7 to 9 April the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) and its members came together in Paks (Hungary) to hold their Executive Committee meeting. The European Inland Ports were invited by the Hungarian Port of Paks. On the eve of the Executive Committee, EFIP participated in the Non-Ministerial Conference organised by the Hungarian Presidency. On 8 April the Members of the Executive Committee gathered for their internal meeting in Paks, in the prestigious historic Erzsébet Hotel. After the internal meeting, EFIP invited Cesare Bernabei, Coordinator for the Danube Strategy at the European Commission (DG MOVE), to give an overview of the state of play of the Danube Strategy. Following his presentation, Tamás Marton, Head of Section "Maritime and Inland Navigation" of the Hungarian Ministry of National Development gave a debriefing about the Non Ministerial Conference Integrating Inland Waterway Transport in the Economy of the Hungarian Presidency. Thirdly, Attila Bencsik, Director of Fluvius Shipping Co. and President of the Association of Hungarian Inland Waterway Carriers, gave his views on the economic impact of the improvement of navigability of the waterways. The meeting was followed by a networking lunch and meeting with inland waterway shippers. To close the event, Zita Haiszer, Chief Operating Officer of Paksport, presented the EFIP members the Port of Paks. New memberships In October 2010, the members of EFIP welcomed the Hungarian Port of Paks as a new EFIP member. Paksport is located on the right bank of the Danube and functions as an agri-logistic hub. They also officialised the membership of the Belgian Port du Centre et de l Ouest, who decided to rejoin the Federation. In the meantime, Verejné Pristavy, the port authority representing the public Ports of Bratislava, Komárno and Štúrovo and NV De Scheepvaart, manager of an important part of the Flemish waterways expressed their wish to join EFIP. This membership will be officialised during EFIP s next General Assembly to be held in October in Berlin. 21

23 10. The Year in Pictures 22

24 23

25 11. Good News about EFIP s Members EFIP Regatta Multimodalshuttle: Moselle ports prepare regular container line connection with maritime ports On 19 October 2010, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Moselle in cooperation with the Port of Trier organised a big awareness-raising Conference with the principal aim of setting out the results of a feasibility and market study which was performed by the Ports de Moselle and the Port of Trier in view of setting up a joint regular container line between the Moselle ports and the maritime seaports. This container line could already start up early The initiators of this project want to offer logistic service providers an additional sustainable transport offer. At the same time they aim at a better use of the existing port installations. A4_ENG.pdf RISING Project RISING has the overall objective of identifying, integrating and further developing information services such as River Information Services (RIS) in order to efficiently support Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) and logistics operations. This FP 7 project is running from February 2009 to January The RISING Consortium comprises 23 project partners from 11 countries who come from different sectors of the industry. The Sächsische Binnenhäfen Oberelbe GmbH is one of the partners of this RISING project. EFIP is member of the Advisory Committee. On 2 February 2011 the second meeting of the Advisory Committee of the RISING project took place in Brussels. This meeting focused on the RISING demonstrator cases and the market approach currently under evaluation in the project. Representatives of the EU project IRIS Europe II and Platina as well as the RIS Expert Group on Electronic Reporting (ERI) reported on their findings regarding the use of RIS in transport & logistics. In addition, they discussed certain legal and organisational issues related to the use of RIS data for logistic purposes and gave valuable input to the project. 24

26 Hafenindex: database helps you in finding the right German port This year, the German Association of Inland Ports (BÖB) developed a database which helps shippers to find the German port they need. The aim of the website and search engine is to enhance the shift of freight from road to inland waterway and rail transport. Hafenindex informs you about the logistic capacities of both the ports and the different companies operating in the port. You can search by region (Bundesland) or by waterway. You can further select ports that are rail-connected, that have transshipment facilities for heavy goods and/or have Ro-Ro facilities. For each port you can also see what the mooring capacities are. www. hafenindex.de BÖB-Comic explains children how the port works The German Association of Inland Ports (Bundesverband Öffentlicher Binnenhäfen) published a comic explaining to children how ports and shipping on inland waterways function. The story is about Tim and Tina who visit the port with their class. They have the opportunity to see and learn more about people working in the port, about the monitoring of cargo handling and about the use of cranes for instance. Mr Kleist, the harbour master, shows the pupils various loading stations for bulk goods, general cargo, bulk and liquid bulk. Finally, children learn how a lock works, how goods are transported from the inland port by rail and by truck, and that barges are very environmentally friendly. The comic is one of the tools developed by BÖB to increase the visiblity of inland ports and make them better known by the general public. Taxibarge A cross border taxi barge service will be set up between the Belgian Port of Liège and the Port of Dunkerque (France). The aim of this taxibarge is to moor at 12 different inland ports and seaports on its way, to transport maritime and multi-modal containers and to offer as such a multimodal door-to-door transport. On 1 July 2011, the Ports of Liège and Dunkerque on the one hand and Voies Navigables de France (the French waterway manager) on the other hand formalised the concept of this regular cross-border inland waterway container taxi project between Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Wallonia with the signature of a charter. The project is based on a coordinated approach between shippers, terminal operators and governments. With this project the initiators wish to anticipate the development of multimodal platforms along the Seine-Scheldt canal. Inlandlinks: Port of Rotterdam maps out hinterland network Shippers and transport providers often indicate the need to have more information on intermodal services and options and to have better access to it. Therefore, the Port of Rotterdam took the initiative to create Inland Links, a platform on which Inland Terminals jointly present themselves to the market. The InlandLinks project has been developed on the initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority in collaboration with the Association of Inland Terminal Operators (VITO). Certification for the InlandLinks quality mark is performed by an independent agency, Lloyds Register. The assessment criteria were tested in the market by shippers, carriers, deep sea and inland terminals. This new website maps out Rotterdam s hinterland network and gives more insight into the container terminals facilities and helps comparing terminals to one another. Through inland links one can search for an inland container terminal on the basis of location or on the basis of criteria. Together with the relevant parties from the logistics sector, the initiators have selected seven main criteria of importance for selecting a terminal: accessibility & connectivity, services, safety and customs, ICT and sustainability. For the time being the project covers mainly Dutch hinterland terminals, but Rotterdam would like to broaden the database and also include container terminals in other EU countries in the hinterland of Rotterdam. Port of Paks 25

27 European project CCP 21 connects seven Citizen Ports Connecting Citizen Ports 21 intends to promote connectivity and sustainable transport by optimising the organisation of freight logistics and sustainable spatial development of inland ports in North West Europe. This new European project brings together the Ports of Brussels, Lille, Paris, Liège, Switzerland, RheinPorts (Alliance of Basel, Mulhouse and Weil am Rhein) and the Province of Utrecht. The project starts from the assumption that the North West Europe region has a dense and well-developed network of inland waterways which has a large unused potential. Moreover, inland ports often have to share the limited waterfront space with other urban functions. Cities and citizens are not aware (anymore) of the presence and role of their inland port. The aim of the CCP21 project is to increase awareness and acceptability of inland ports, promote cohabitation through innovative multipurpose land use, optimise the organisation of freight logistics and promote sustainable city distribution. The project has a fully integrated approach. It involves cities, citizens, customers, carriers and inland ports. Among the initiatives that will be taken in the framework of this project are: an innovative positive awareness and acceptability strategy for inland ports and a pilot application in Liège, a platform combining passengers and freight in Brussels, the combination of people and freight through a time-sharing concept in Paris urban ports ( port à temps partagé ), the development and evaluation of a multimodal urban distribution centre in Lille, a long-term vision for the development of urban ports and a web-based tool showing the environmental benefits of inland ports. (to be launched end 2011) aims at building connections between participating ports through liner services in the frame of the Danube Strategy. The core partnership of DaHar consists of 11 organisations from 6 South East Europe (SEE) countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia). The lead partner is the Municipality of Dunaújváros (Hungary). Two EFIP members are involved as a member: Maritime Danube Ports Administration SA Galati (Romania) and the Austrian Port of Enns. EFIP is observer in this project. The project was approved at the beginning of The kick-off meeting took place in June. The launching conference will take place in October. Port of Strasbourg is first inland port to join the Ecoports network In May 2011, the Port Autonome de Strasbourg (PAS) decided to join the Ecoports network. The Ecoports network is gathering ports which are engaging themselves in environmental management. The "EcoPort" status is obtained by any port within the broad ESPO membership upon completion of a Self Diagnosis Method (SDM) checklist. Additional credit is provided to ports that are certified with PERS, the only port-sector specific environmental management standard, and ISO Consequently, the Port of Strasbourg did an analysis of its environmental performances and has set objectives for improvement. Every two year the Port will do an internal audit allowing to evaluate the progress. By joining the Ecoports network the port of Strasbourg also hopes to learn from best practices in sustainable development of port activities from other ports in the network. The Ecoports network is managed by ESPO, the European Sea Ports Organisation. Dahar project is launched The DaHar partnership represents small-and-medium-sized Danube cities with ports of international importance. The economic development of these cities could be enhanced through the optimal use of port development and the further development of waterway cargo transport on the Danube in a transnational context. To this end, DaHar partners wish to use the logistical and multimodal development capacities of their ports and port areas and to develop their ports in a harmonised way. This way, small-andmedium-sized cities will find their position in the development of waterway cargo transport. The main activities include a careful analysis of the state of the art related to multi-modal cargo transport development, an intensive exchange of expertise in formulating the development potentials of individual ports (deep dive process). The knowledge gathered would then be brought together in the form of a master class with stakeholder participation. In addition, the project aims at drawing up an integrated strategy for the functional specialisation of ports in the logistic chain and developing concrete action plans for individual ports based on the common strategy. Finally the project 26

28 The Port of Switzerland and Weil am Rhein step up their cooperation Already in 2009 the Port of Switzerland, Mulhouse and Weil-am-Rhein decided to create Rheinports, a crossborder trimodal logistic platform. On 1 July 2011 the port and city authorities of Weil am Rhein signed an agreement for a strategic partnership with the Port of Switzerland. Following this agreement both ports want to strive for a harmonisation of their governance model towards the landlord port model. Up to now the Port of Weil am Rhein is still working as port operator. The cooperation agreement further foresees that both ports will take common decisions about strategic investments. The planning of infrastructure will be coordinated with the aim of limiting the costs of investments and dedicate certain services to the one or the other port. It is for instance foreseen to link the container terminal of the German port with the planned trimodal terminal in Basel-Nord. Weil am Rhein would then be more developed for the transport of bulk goods. Finally the ports of Switzerland and Weil am Rhein aim at facilitating the custom formalities at their borders. LOG PAC The Province of Cremona, the Province of Mantova and the Unione Navigazione Interna Italiana have launched in January 2011 the LOG PAC project. The aim of the project is to create a network of inland port authorities with a view of promoting the Italian inland waterway system. This two-year project is cofinanced (50%) by the European Union. The project covers the areas of importance for the Northern Italy waterway system, which is developing itself around the Po river. Four regions are involved: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. Within LOG PAC the following actions will be performed: a market analysis to find out the potential market and the enterprises interested in setting up their premises in the port areas; development of Logistic Pacs : concrete services to the enterprises with logistic, administrative and financial solutions and business plan to support their installation in the port areas; networking and European best practice analysis in order to strengthen the Italian inland navigation system. Elbe seaports and inland ports enhance their cooperation Since 2009 the German ports of Brunsbüttel and Glückstadt on the lower Elbe and the German and Czech inland ports on the Upper Elbe are cooperating to strengthen the services offered. Through this cooperation, existing traffics are optimised. For new freight to be transported on the Elbe, a close cooperation is set up between the ports involved. One of the successful projects is the transport of windmill components over the water. Because of the size of the wind mill blades, inland waterway transport is a very interesting mode of transport. In July 2011, for instance, ten blades were loaded into a barge in Dresden, to be transhipped in the Port of Brunsbüttel from where they were transported by seagoing vessel to Spain. These projects allow for the upper Elbe ports to come closer to the sea and to enjoy the benefits of specialised sea port terminals. The general objective of the project is to stimulate the local private operators to use the existing inland waterway infrastructure and to use inland navigation as a transport mode for their goods. East Lombardy counts a number of well equipped inland ports that are linked to the railway system. These inland ports are however not used to their full potential by local operators. At the same time, local companies have enormous problems to find the adequate logistic area for their businesses because of the congestions problems that have been affecting the major logistic platforms in the North of Italy over the last years. Waterwegen & Zeekanaal Port of Dresden 27

29 11. EFIP s Structure President Roland Hörner (Germany) Vice-Presidents Carmen Costache (Romania) Bernard Pacory (France) Rainier Reekmans (Belgium) Willy Robijns (Belgium) Executive Committee Austria Interessengemeinschaft Öffentlicher Donauhäfen in Össterreich (IGOD) Christian Steindl Herbert Szirota (Substitute) Belgium Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV Willy Robijns Port of Brussels Rainier Reekmans Port of Ghent Daan Schalck Patrick De Hertogh (Substitute) Port of Liège Emile-Louis Bertrand Philippe Prijs (Substitute) Port of Namur Claude Martin Bulgaria Port Complex-Ruse Petar Dragoshinov Czech Republic Cesko-Saske Privasty (Port of Děčín) Veronika Šamajová France Association Française des Ports Intérieurs (AFPI) Bernard Pacory Jean-Louis Jérôme (substitute) Germany Bundesverband Öffentlicher Binnenhäfen (BÖB) Roland Hörner Ralf Karpa (Substitute) Hungary Port of Paks Zita Haiszer Italy Unione Navigazione Interna Italiana (UNII) Sergio Vazzoler Province of Mantova Gabriele Negrini Luxemburg Port of Mertert Jeannot Poeker Moldova Port of Giurgulesti Tatiana Munteanu The Netherlands Nederlands Vereniging Binnenhavens (NVB) Bert Luijendijk Romania Union of Romanian Inland Ports (UPIR) Carmen Costache George Boga (Substitute) Ports Administration on the Maritime Danube Galati (APDM) Mihai Ochialbecu Silviu Meterna (Substitute) Administration of River Ports on the Danube (APDF) Port of Giurgiu Cristian Nemtescu Slovakia Slovenska Plavba a Pristavy (SpaP) Zdeno Skrásek Ladislav Gnacek (Substitute) Spain Port of Sevilla Fausto Arroyo Sweden Mälarhamnar AB Patrik Aman Vänerhamn AB Göran Lidström Switzerland Swiss Rhine Ports Hans-Peter Hadorn Christian Baumann (Substitute) Ukraine Danube Shipping Management Service abreviation (DSMS) Viatcheslav Vdovitchenko Port of Ochakov Andrey Cherepanov Irina Borodina (Substitute) 28

30 12. EFIP s Members Austria INTERESSENGEMEINSCHAFT ÖFFENTLICHER DONAUHÄFEN IN ÖSTERREICH IGÖD c/o EHG Ennshafen GmbH Donaustrasse 3 AT Enns Tel.: Fax: office@ennshafen.at Contact: Mr.Christian Steindl Mr Harald Kronsteiner Belgium PORT AUTONOME DE LIEGE Quai de Maestricht 14 BE Liège Tel.: Fax: portdeliege@skynet.be Contact: Mr Emile-Louis Bertrand PORT AUTONOME DE NAMUR Place Léopold 3 BE Namur Tel.: Fax: claude.alfred.martin@spw.wallonie.be. Contact: Mr Claude Martin PORT DE BRUXELLES Place des Armateurs 6 BE Bruxelles Tel.: / Fax: / rreekmans@port.irisnet.be Contact: Mr Rainier Reekmans PORT AUTONOME DU CENTRE ET DE L'OUEST (PACO) Rue Verte 11 BE Mons Tel.: Fax: paco.scrl@skynet.be Contact: Mr Alain Lefebvre HAVEN VAN GENT John Kennedylaan 32 BE Gent Tel.: +32 (0) Fax: +32 (0) d.schalck@havengent.be p.dehertogh@havengent.be Contact: Mr Daan Schalck Mr Patrick De Hertogh WATERWEGEN EN ZEEKANAAL NV Oostdijk 110 BE Willebroek Tel.: Fax: willy.robijns@wenz.be Contact: Mr Willy Robijns Bulgaria PORT COMPLEX RUSE J.S. Co. 22 Pristanishtna Str. BG Ruse Tel.: Fax: office@port-ruse-bg.com dmateva@port-ruse-bg.com Contact: Mr Petar Dragoshinov Ms. Denitsa Mateva Czech Republic CESKO-SASKE PRIVASTY S.R.O (Port of Decín) Zaměstnání Loubská 704/9 CZ Decín IT Tel : Fax : veronika.samajova@csp-labe.cz Contact: Ms Veronika Šamajová France ASSOCIATION FRANCAISE DES PORTS INTERIEURS (AFPI) Place Leroux Fauquemont, BP 1394 RP FR Lille, Cedex Tel.: Fax: mcleroy@portsdelille.com drapier@afpi.org Contact: Mr Bernard Pacory Mr Dominique Drapier Germany BUNDESVERBAND ÖFFENTLICHER BINNENHÄFEN (BÖB) Leipziger Platz DE Berlin Tel.: Fax: info-boeb@binnenhafen.de ww.binnenhafen.de Contact: Mr Boris Kluge Greece ELLHNIKH ETAIREIA LOGISTICS 5, A.SYNGROU Aven GR Athens Tel.: Fax: strichas@fashionlogistics.gr kspanogiannis@gmail.com Contact: Mr Stiris Trichas Mr Kyriakos Spanoyannis Hungary Port of Paks Tartsay V.U. 10 HU-7100 Szeksrard Tel.: Fax: paksport@ .com haiszer.zita@sygnus.hu Contact: Ms Zita Haiszer 29

31 Italy UNIONE NAVIGAZIONE INTERNA ITALIANA (UNII) Via Banchina Dell Azoto, 15/D IT MARGHERA Tel.: Fax: unii@libero.it sergio@vazzoler.net Contact: Mr Sergio Vazzoler PROVINCIA DI MANTOVA - PORT OF VALDARO Via Principe Amedeo 32 IT Mantova Tel.: Fax: sei2@provincia.mantova.it Contact: Mr Roberto Grassi Luxembourg PORT DE MERTERT Société du Port de Mertert S.A. LU Mertert Tel.: Fax: info@portmertert.lu Contact: Mr Jeannot Poeker Moldova GIURGIULESTI INTERNATIONAL FREE PORT Giurgiulesti Cahul raion MD Tel.: , Fax: info@danlog.md Contact: Ms Tatiana Munteanu Netherlands NEDERLANDSE VERENIGING VAN BINNENHAVENS (NVB) Vasteland 12e Postbus NL BL Rotterdam Tel.: +31 (0) Fax: +31 (0) H.Luijendijk@portofrotterdam.com t.roos@binnenvaart.nl nvb@binnenvaart.nl Contact: Mr Bert Luijendijk Ms Lijdia Pater-de Groot Portugal INSTITUTO PORTUARIO E DOS TRANSPORTES MARITIMOS - Delegação Douro Av. Sacadura Cabral - Godim PT Peso da Régua Tel.: Fax: geral.douro@imarport.pt Contact: Mr Miguel Sequeira Romania ADMINISTRATION OF RIVER PORTS ON THE DANUBE (APDF) Str. Portului nr. 1 O.P.I, C.P. 2 RO Giurgiu Tel.: Fax: apdf@pcnet.ro Contact: Mr Isan Emil Alexandru NATIONAL COMPANY MARITIME DANUBE PORTS ADMINISTRATION (APDM) GALATI 34, Portului Street, RO - Galati, Tel: / Fax: apdm@apdm.galati.ro manager@apdm.galati.ro marketing@apdm.galati.ro Contact: Mr George Petcu UNION OF ROMANIAN INLAND PORTS Basarabiei st. nr.1 RO Galati Mobile: Fax: president@danube-ports.ro costache.carmen@yahoo.com Contact: Ms Carmen Costache Slovakia SLOVENSKA PLAVBA A PRISTAVY, A.S. Horárska 12 SK Bratislava Tel.: (Communication Department) / (General Manager) / Fax: spap@spap.sk gnacekl@spap.sk Contact: Mr Gnacek Ladislav Spain PUERTO DE SEVILLA Autoridad Portuaria de Sevilla Avenida de Molini, 6 ES Sevilla Tel.: Fax: farroyo@apsevilla.com Contact: Mr Fausto Arroyo Sweden MÄLARHAMNAR AB (Ports of Köping & Västerås) Seglargatan 3 SE Västerås Tel.: Fax: morgan.leidstrom@malarhamnar.se Contact: Mr Morgan Leidstrom VÄNERHAMN AB Stuvargatan 1 SE Karlstad Tel: Fax: goran.lidstrom@vanerhamn.se Contact: Mr Göran Lidstöm 30

32 Switzerland SCHWEIZERISCHE RHEINHÄFEN Rheinhäfen Beider Basel Hochbergerstrasse 160 CH Basel Tel.: Fax: hans-peter.hadorn@portof.ch Contact: Mr Hans-Peter Hadorn Ukraine PORT OCHAKOV CO. Ltd. 30, Olviyskaya Str., Ochakov, Nikolaev region, 57500, Ukraine Tel./fax.: (05154) info@portochakov.com.ua Contact: Mr Andrey Cherepanov EFIP's Observer Member Egypt NATIONAL RIVER PORTS MANAGEMENT COMPANY Mostafa Refaat St. Sheraton district EG Cairo Tel.: Fax: mpower@nrpmc.com Contact: Mr Michael Power Director Isabelle Ryckbost Assistant Ombeline d Hollander DANUBE SHIPPING MANAGEMENT SERVICE (DSMS) (Ports of Reni, Izmail, Ust-Dunaisk) Handelskai 388/832 AT-1020 Vienna Tel.: Fax: headoffice@dsms.at Contact: Mr Viatcheslav Vdovitchenko Photo credits Cover front: Ports of Paris Cover back: Port of Berlin 31

33 Notes

34 EFIP European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) Tel.: Fax: Treurenberg 6 B-1000 Brussel/Bruxelles info@inlandports.be Nederlandse Vereniging van Binnenhavens