Inland shipping proposals for German national climate targets
Germany’s federal ministry for digital matters and transport has received the final report of an ‘Expert Forum for Climate-Friendly Mobility and Infrastructure’, developed with the participation of Germany’s Bundesverband der Deutschen Binnenschifffahrt (inland waterway transport association BDB). The forum proposed measures to help meet national climate targets in the transport sector.
Key inland shipping proposals include recognising waterways as infrastructure of “overriding public interest”, allocating at least EUR 2.5 billion for maintenance and upgrades, and improving intermodal logistics by lifting weight limits and removing tolls for trucks in pre- and onward carriage. The expert forum also called for a legal adjustment to facilitate the handling of recyclable materials and waste in inland ports.
BDB managing director Jens Schwanen welcomed the consensus among participants and highlighted inland shipping’s potential in circular economy logistics. Minister Patrick Schnieder, in turn, confirmed plans to give freight on inland waterways greater attention. (gy)