Support study for market access and market operation of the European inland waterway market

Since 1960, the European Commission has adopted several regulations and directives to regulate access to the European inland waterway market. A total of seven pieces of legislation have been adopted which can be divided into two themes (1) pricing of transport services and (2) reducing barriers to entry.

Background

This study evaluates the 7 regulations and directives at different levels. First, each law was considered individually. Then, the two themes were assessed. As the time span between adoption (ranging from 1960 to 1999) and evaluation (2020 – 2021) is large, the main focus was on the extent to which this legislation is still relevant (fit for purpose) in the current economic situation.

The evaluation was carried out in accordance with the European Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines and Toolbox. Each law and topic was assessed on the five standard criteria. The extent to which the legislation has been effective (have the objectives been achieved), the extent to which the implementation has been efficient (do the benefits exceed the costs) and whether the legislation is still relevant were examined. The extent to which the legislation is (still) sufficiently coherent with other (inland navigation) legislation and policies was also examined. Finally, the added value of EU intervention in this area was considered.

Key findings

The study concluded that the set of laws has been successful in achieving the relevant goals. Market access has improved and so has pricing. The laws were and are today consistent with other laws and regulations. Also, the laws add value. As the entire framework has been in place for more than 20 years, the need for adjustments was also assessed. The main conclusions of the study are:

• The inland waterway market is an open market where prices are determined by supply and demand. Therefore, having legislation prohibiting price discrimination seems outdated.
• Given the modal shift objectives of the European Green Deal, an open and accessible inland waterway market becomes even more important. Being able to offer inland shipping services across Europe makes inland shipping an attractive market for barge operators. Having legislation in place for this purpose adds value.
• The legislation introduces common rules for access to the inland waterway transport profession and international transport. The legislation contributes to the harmonisation of access rules. However, there are local differences. To keep up with the times and stay current, the legislation could be updated and expanded.

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