Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-22-Speech-2-355"
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"en.20050222.18.2-355"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by thanking the rapporteur for her truly excellent cooperation with us. Inland navigation is making headway, and RIS will do a little more to dispel the image of a romantic but outdated form of transport. An interoperable cross-border information and communication system will help to realise our vision of making inland navigation as strong as any other link in the transport chain. It would be a wise move to strengthen inland waterway transport in this way, given all the infrastructural developments that are required in other areas of the transport system.
RIS brings added value in environmental and economic terms, while also contributing to the overall efficiency of transport policies. Firstly, the improvement of traffic and transport management makes it conceivable that something like the ‘just in time’ approach could be extended to supplies transported on our rivers. RIS provides up-to-date information that can be used in the planning of journeys and the compilation of reliable timetables. It will make individual transport operations safer and more efficient.
Secondly, ports will be upgraded to intermodal interfaces. RIS will make it easier for port and terminal operators to maximise the use of their capacities.
Thirdly, this directive will finally give us a standardised identification number too, a number plate for inland vessels. Efficient inland navigation makes such a standardised registration number necessary, since it makes vessels identifiable, makes it possible to track consignments and promotes safety. All of these factors will enhance the competitiveness and appeal of inland waterway transport.
What remains to be done? The real challenge lies in the interfaces. Ports, of course, are often focal points of economic development, but many of them are not designed and equipped for trimodal operations. There is a great deal to be done here.
Further improvements are also needed in the links with short sea shipping, a very fast-growing mode of transport. In this case there are administrative obstacles to be removed.
Last but not least, there is the creation and application of the European intermodal loading unit. As you know, we have had the first reading of that draft, and we now await the Council’s common position. I see this as another indispensable step towards the goal of a truly competitive intermodal transport chain.
There is still, however, one fly in the ointment, and that is the relatively non-binding nature of this directive. It is for this reason that we now need to adopt without delay the various technical provisions and standards for the implementation of RIS in order to preclude the emergence of a patchwork of divergent RIS applications, if this has not already happened."@en1
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