ABSTRACT
Together with road and rail, inland waterways form one of the three modes of surface transport. Inland waterways are used for mass freight transport in Europe. However, inland waterways play an insignificant role in transportation between the countries of North-Western Europe and those of the South. Existing natural barriers impede the development of inland waterways. Inland waterways could therefore be used as an element of combined transport where initial and final road sections are linked to their network. EC gives only occasional and modest support to inland waterways infrastructure. The recent opening of the Rhine-Maine Danube canal combined with the Austria’s and Switzerland’s commitments to the inland waterways systems have extended the potential growth of the European inland waterways sector. An appropriate policy will be able to improve the links of transport communication and affect the future development of inland waterways in Europe.
