Digitalisation brings new opportunities to cut costs and increase the sustainability of transport which stands for 30% of the EU energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

After 4 years of intensive work, we can now look back at a European priority infrastructure package of which inland waterways are a full part with boosted funding. Further guarantees are necessary for waterway maintenance but let’s hope the Juncker plan will above all help to support blended finance to implement projects rather than decrease the budget for sustainable infrastructure.

It is important today to direct all attention to those measures that bolster a long-term innovation path for the industry. This means that next to quality infrastructure, attacking administrative barriers and reforming the regulatory framework into a stable environment which helps to overcome commercial uncertainty for the greening and smart tech business.

Read more in our annual report 2014.