In 2050 more than 8 out of 10 people will be living in urban areas. These people will not only move in, out and around Europe’s cities, but each of them will also be producing, using and consuming goods. This means that bringing goods in and out of European cities in a sustainable and efficient way will become one of the major challenges for European cities. European capitals are to be seen as important nodes in the new Trans-European Transport Network. Therefore Brussels, Berlin, Budapest, Paris and Vienna, five waterborne European capitals, have decided to further “activate” their connection with the waterway flowing through their city. They realise that the inland waterway in their town can offer a sustainable and efficient solution for bringing goods in and out of their city, avoiding as such the congestion barrier surrounding these big agglomerations. Moreover by increasingly using the water, these cities hope to contribute to achieving CO2 free logistics, one of the goals of the European Transport Policy for the years to come. To enhance the role of waterway transport, the political authorities of these European capitals will step up the dialogue with the inland port authorities and take the necessary decisions in view of tackling the growing challenges in terms of urban freight supply and distribution.
To formalise this engagement, the political and port authorities of Brussels, Berlin, Budapest, Paris and Vienna signed the Charter “Connecting with the Waterways: a Capital Choice” in Brussels. The charter has been signed and officially presented to the to the European Commission on Friday 16 September.
Minister Brigitte Grouwels in charge of the Port of Brussels explained: “The port of Brussels has an ideal location at the heart of the international transport hub which offers connection to 3 other transport modes, notably to the motorway network, through the Brussels orbital motorway (known as the Ring), to the railway network, by means of a connection to the container terminal and to the air transport network. By signing this chart, we undoubtedly take a big step towards a more sustainable future, both from an economic and an environmental point of view. We also make the link with other ports. In fact, it is only through cooperation and exchange of know-how that we will succeed in making every port successful.”
This is an initiative of the Brussels-Capital Region in cooperation with the European Federation of Inland ports.