Looking at the world around us, change is happening at an accelerating pace reaching logistics and transport, just like we predicted in 2009 in our ‘A Changing World’ publication.

E-commerce, the service economy, product customisation, 3D printing, the internet of things and the circular economy have started to transform the supply chain. How will these developments affect and change waterway transport? We don’t know yet. Policy decisions will determine to a great extent if change will be beneficial or detrimental to our economy and society. The new EU infrastructure policy looks promising with clear goals for completion by 2030.

The outstanding challenge is to implement it with vision, effective governance and appropriate resources in order to avoid a traffic gridlock increasing the bill on the old continent. With the continuation of the Naiades policy, the EU addresses better governance for inland waterway transport, but boosting the innovation potential of waterway transport remains far too timid to lead the sector out of the crisis, let alone to provide instruments to seize the full opportunities of change taking shape around us.

INE Annual report 2013