| Written by Mark Buzinkay
The European Green Deal
The European Union has outlined an ambitious and far-reaching strategy aimed at shifting both freight and passenger transport from road-based systems to more sustainable alternatives, with a primary focus on railways and inland waterways, including rivers and canals. This modal shift is a core component of the European Green Deal and is being implemented through the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. The rationale behind this approach lies in the EU's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, easing road congestion, and cutting its dependence on fossil fuels, particularly in the transport sector, which remains one of the most significant contributors to CO₂ emissions in Europe.
The EU has set concrete targets to drive this transformation. By 2050, it aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 90%. To achieve this, the strategy calls for shifting 75% of inland freight that is currently transported by road to rail or inland waterways. In parallel, the goal is to double rail freight traffic and increase the volume of cargo carried via inland waterways by 25% by 2030 and by 50% by 2050.
To support rail transport, the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is being expanded and modernised. This network connects major urban and industrial regions across the EU, with a particular emphasis on improving cross-border links and ensuring technical compatibility, such as harmonised track gauges and signalling systems. Rail Freight Corridors (RFCs) have been identified to streamline international freight movement, and ongoing efforts to liberalise rail markets—such as introducing the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)—are designed to enhance efficiency, safety, and interoperability.
Inland waterway transport is receiving targeted support through the NAIADES III programme, which covers the period from 2021 to 2027. This initiative promotes the modernisation of inland fleets and infrastructure, the digitalisation of logistics chains (including systems like River Information Services), and the adoption of greener propulsion technologies to reduce environmental impacts. Substantial investments are also being made in river ports, locks, and canal networks to improve the capacity and efficiency of multimodal transport. At the same time, cross-border coordination is being strengthened along major transnational rivers, such as the Rhine, Danube (see also: the Danube transport route), and Elbe.
Complementing these measures, the EU is implementing policies to discourage road transport where alternatives are viable. The expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System to include road transport fuels aims to internalise the environmental costs of emissions. New road pricing mechanisms, as outlined in the Eurovignette Directive, as well as urban vehicle access regulations, are prompting cities and logistics providers to adopt multimodal and cleaner transport models.
To finance this large-scale transition, the EU is deploying a range of funding tools. The Connecting Europe Facility supports infrastructure projects designed to enable modal shifts. Additional funding streams such as InvestEU and Cohesion Funds are backing digital infrastructure and low-carbon logistics. Innovation in the rail sector is being driven through initiatives like Shift2Rail and Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, which bring together public and private stakeholders to develop next-generation technologies.
Digital tools play a critical role in this ecosystem. Integrated logistics platforms facilitate the coordination of freight flows across various transport modes, while innovations such as Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) enhance operational efficiency in rail freight. Cities and regions are also being supported in the creation of zero-emission mobility zones and in providing incentives for adopting cleaner transport fleets.
Several high-profile projects illustrate the strategy in action. Rail Baltica is creating a high-speed rail corridor linking the Baltic States with Western Europe, while the Rhine-Alpine Corridor is being enhanced to support greater freight volumes by both rail and river along one of Europe's most important trade axes. Ports such as Duisburg, Linz, and Constanța are undergoing eco-modernisation to become green inland ports, showcasing how sustainability can be embedded in infrastructure at every level of the supply chain. Through these integrated efforts, the EU is steadily building a smarter, greener, and more resilient transport system for the future.
Inland waterways Europe West - The core network
The France–Belgium–Netherlands–Germany corridor forms a vital part of the European inland waterway network, enabling multimodal freight transport across Western Europe. This system is highly integrated, consisting of key canals and rivers that facilitate the movement of large cargo volumes—particularly bulk goods and containers—between major industrial and port regions. Here are the most important canals in this corridor:
1. Canal de la Deûle / Deûle–Lys Corridor
Connects: Lille (France) → Kortrijk → Ghent (Belgium)
Linked rivers/canals: Lys (Leie), Scheldt (Escaut)
Use: Industrial cargo, steel, containers
Significance: Key link from northern France to the Belgian Scheldt basin and Port of Ghent.
2. Albert Canal
Connects: Liège (Belgium) → Antwerp (Belgium) → Moerdijk / Rotterdam (Netherlands via Maas and Scheldt)
Length: ~130 km
Use: One of Europe's busiest canals; containers, bulk cargo
Significance: Major corridor for freight from the Meuse basin (Liège) to the Port of Antwerp.
3. Meuse (Maas) River via Juliana Canal
Connects: Liège (Belgium) → Maastricht → Venlo → Duisburg (Germany)
Key waterway: Juliana Canal (Netherlands)
Use: Bulk cargo, chemicals, construction materials
Significance: Cross-border connection from Belgium to the German Rhine-Ruhr region.
4. Canal de la Marne au Rhin
Connects: Paris / Lorraine region → Strasbourg → Kehl (Germany, Rhine River)
Use: Industrial freight, chemicals, steel
Significance: Links France's northeastern industrial areas with the Rhine and German inland network.
5. Rhine (Waal) Corridor
Connects: Rotterdam → Nijmegen → Duisburg / Cologne / Mannheim
Use: Containers, coal, steel, automotive parts
Significance: Main axis of the Rhine–Alpine TEN-T Corridor and Europe's busiest inland waterway route.
6. Scheldt–Rhine Connection
Connects: Antwerp → Ghent → Terneuzen → Moerdijk / Rotterdam
Use: Multimodal freight, petrochemicals, containers
Significance: Key east-west corridor between Belgian and Dutch ports.
These canals and river corridors form the backbone of the TEN-T Core Network for inland waterways in Northwestern Europe. They support multimodal logistics hubs and are increasingly digitised and modernised for sustainable freight movement.
Inland Waterways Europe Central
The inland waterway network in central Europe, connecting Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Poland, is strategically crucial for European logistics and trade, particularly for supporting sustainable, cross-border freight transport.
1. Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal) – Germany
Connects: North Sea (Brunsbüttel) ⇄ Baltic Sea (Kiel-Holtenau)
Use: Petroleum, chemicals, bulk cargo, containers
Significance: World's busiest artificial waterway (approx. 100 million tonnes annually); allows ships to bypass Denmark's Skagerrak/Kattegat, saving up to 460 km; critical for short-sea shipping and feeder services between North and Baltic Sea ports
2. Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (Main-Danube Canal)
Connects: Bamberg (Main River) ⇄ Kelheim (Danube) ⇄ Vienna (Austria)
Use: Containers, grain, fertilisers, chemicals, petroleum products
Significance: Forms a continuous inland waterway from the North Sea (via Rhine) to the Black Sea (via the Danube); key freight corridor through Germany and Austria; facilitates trans-European trade as part of the TEN-T Rhine–Danube Corridor
3. Mittelland Canal – Germany
Connects: Dortmund-Ems Canal ⇄ Hanover ⇄ Magdeburg ⇄ Elbe River
Use: Containers, coal, steel, aggregates, waste, heavy equipment
Significance: Longest artificial waterway in Germany (~326 km); the backbone of east–west inland freight between the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany; supports multimodal terminals and connects to key German industrial zones
4. Elbe–Lübeck Canal
Connects: Elbe River (Lauenburg) ⇄ Lübeck (Trave River and Baltic Sea)
Use: Bulk goods, fuels, industrial cargo
Significance: Historic replacement for the Stecknitz Canal; key shortcut for Baltic–inland shipping; connects inland Elbe traffic to seaports in Schleswig-Holstein and beyond
5. Oder–Havel Canal
Connects: Hohensaaten (Oder River) ⇄ Berlin (Havel River)
Use: Aggregates, chemicals, construction materials, containers
Significance: Main corridor linking Berlin to Poland's port cities (e.g., Szczecin); part of the Havel–Oder–Wasserstraße, supporting EU-East Europe trade; enhances connectivity between Berlin and Polish inland terminals
6. Danube River
Connects: Kelheim (Germany) ⇄ Passau ⇄ Linz ⇄ Vienna ⇄ Bratislava ⇄ Black Sea
Use: Grain, steel, coal, chemicals, containers, liquid bulk
Significance: Europe's second-longest river; navigable from Germany to the Black Sea; central to freight flows from Austria, southern Germany, and Eastern Europe; regulated and lock-controlled to handle large freight vessels
7. Rhine River – Switzerland to Germany
Connects: Basel (Switzerland) ⇄ Strasbourg ⇄ Mannheim ⇄ Cologne ⇄ Rotterdam
Use: Containers, fuel, chemicals, metals, vehicles
Significance: Switzerland's only major inland waterway connection; key route for Swiss imports/exports via the Port of Rotterdam; supports Rhine ports like Basel and Weil am Rhein in multimodal supply chains
Inland Waterways Europe East
In Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, the inland waterway network plays a strategically growing but less fully developed role compared to Western Europe. However, it holds enormous potential for sustainable logistics, economic integration, and cross-border trade. The EU is investing heavily in this region to close infrastructure gaps, modernise transport systems, and strengthen East-West and North–South freight corridors.
1. Danube River
Connects: Germany → Austria → Slovakia → Hungary → Croatia → Serbia → Bulgaria → Romania → Moldova → Ukraine → Black Sea
Use: Coal, grain, fertilisers, metals, petroleum products, containers
Significance: Second-longest river in Europe (2,850 km), navigable across 10 countries; forms the backbone of freight transport in the region (Rhine–Danube Corridor in TEN-T); connects Central Europe with the Black Sea via the Danube–Black Sea Canal (Romania) and the Sulina Channel
Key inland ports: Constanța (RO), Giurgiu (RO), Ruse (BG), Novi Sad & Belgrade (RS), Budapest (HU), Bratislava (SK), Galați (RO)
2. Danube–Black Sea Canal
Connects: Cernavodă → Constanța (Romania)
Use: Bulk, grain, minerals, general cargo
Significance: Shortens the Danube–Black Sea journey by 400 km; crucial for export of Ukrainian and Romanian agricultural products; increases the capacity of Port of Constanța as a multimodal hub
3. Dnieper, Pripyat & Bug Rivers
Connects: Black Sea (Ukraine) → Dnieper → Pripyat → Bug (Poland)
Use: Grain, metals, fertilisers
Significance: Potential North–South inland corridor linking Ukraine and Belarus with Poland and the Baltic Sea (E40 Inland Waterway project); poor infrastructure and political conditions currently limit full commercial use; Dnieper is heavily used domestically in Ukraine for grain and metal exports
FAQ – Inland Waterways in Europe
What are inland waterways, and why are they important in Europe?
Inland waterways refer to navigable rivers, canals, and lakes used for transporting goods and passengers. In Europe, they are essential for sustainable freight movement, offering a low-emission alternative to road and rail, and forming key links in multimodal logistics networks across the continent.
Which regions in Europe rely most on inland waterway transport? Western and Central Europe—especially the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France—have highly developed inland waterway systems. The Rhine and Danube rivers are particularly important, while Eastern Europe is emerging as a strategic growth area with significant investment potential.
Can refrigerated goods (reefers) be transported via inland waterways?
Yes, inland waterways increasingly support cold chain logistics. Many inland ports are now equipped to handle refrigerated containers, offering consistent temperature control and gentle handling. This makes river transport a viable option for perishable goods such as food, pharmaceuticals, and flowers.
Takeaway
Europe's inland waterways form a vital backbone for sustainable freight transport, reducing road congestion and carbon emissions while supporting economic integration across regions. As the network modernises and expands, it plays an increasingly important role in multimodal logistics, especially for bulk and containerised cargo. For cold chain logistics, inland shipping offers a stable, low-vibration, and temperature-consistent environment, ideal for sensitive goods like food and pharmaceuticals. As more ports integrate reefer handling capabilities and digital monitoring tools, inland waterways are becoming a reliable component in the European cold supply chain, ensuring efficiency and quality from origin to destination.
Delve deeper into one of our core topics: Cold chain monitoring
Glossary
The European Green Deal is the European Union's roadmap to make its economy sustainable by reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It aims to decouple economic growth from resource use while ensuring no region or citizen is left behind. The Deal covers climate, energy, transport, agriculture, and finance, promoting cleaner technologies, biodiversity, and circular economy practices. It is central to the EU's strategy for long-term climate neutrality and economic resilience. (4)
References:
Here are three authoritative references that support the core content shared throughout this conversation on Europe's inland waterways and transport strategy:
(1) European Commission – Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy:
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/mobility-strategy_en
(2) Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) – Market Observation Reports: https://www.ccr-zkr.org/13020800-en.html
(3) Eurostat – Inland Waterways Freight Transport Statistics: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Inland_waterways_freight_transport_statistics
(4) European Commission (2019). The European Green Deal. COM(2019) 640 final. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52019DC0640
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