DANTE

DANTE aimed at identifying and eliminating administrative barriers for inland waterway transport (IWT) on the Danube & its navigable tributaries as a joint initiative of the private sector and the national public authorities responsible for these barriers.

Good practices and guidelines for effective administration of IWT activities were developed with regard to the identified barriers. The proposed solutions were discussed with the responsible authorities at national working tables, as well as in transnational ones. This matrix approach delivered quick solutions and a wide harmonisation of procedures and processes along the river. The monitoring system for collecting user experiences (supported by an online tool) was a key element for successful project implementation.

DANTE focuses on five thematic areas where administrative barriers are most evidently reducing efficiency of IWT operations, which are:

• Border Police, Tax & Customs
• Navigation / traffic control authorities
• Port authorities / administrations
• Waterway and Canal administrations
• Other relevant authorities imposing barriers (e.g. health control, disaster management, etc)

DANTE also referred to a wider policy initiative recently launched by Pro Danube called “Green Deal for Danube River Transport” which created an improved long-term policy framework for Danube IWT based on stakeholder commitments