Today, 17 February 2017, the DANTE project aiming to improve administrative procedures and processes for Danube IWT was officially kicked off at the Danube Commission headquarters in Budapest. The event brought together representatives from the European Commission (Ms Desireé Oen, Policy Advisor to Rhine-Danube Coordinator, DG MOVE/B1) and from the Danube Commission (Mr Petar Margic, General Director) as well as more than 60 experts and stakeholders with a dedicated interest in the Danube navigation.

DANTE – initiated and coordinated by Pro Danube – aims at identifying and eliminating the 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. The project partners will develop good practices and guidelines for effective administration of IWT activities in relation to the identified barriers. One key element for the successful project implementation will be the development of a transnational IWT barrier reporting tool for collecting user experiences. 

“Administrative barriers and related fees in the logistics of goods and passengers on the Danube & its navigable tributaries are major obstacles for wide-scale and efficient use of the river as main transport axis of the region. DANTE is one important step towards tackling, mitigating and abolishing the most important administrative barriers in a coordinated and transnationally integrated manner”, says Alexandru Capatu, President of Pro Danube International.

By improving administrative procedures and by reducing bureaucratic processes as well as related charges & fees for IWT operations, DANTE aims for harmonized regulations and simplified administrative processes of transport & transhipment operations following the “Same River-Same Rules” concept of Pro Danube. This shall lead to better governance & management of this environmentally-friendly European core transport infrastructure and reduce the logistics costs of major industries depending on waterway transportation for their global competitiveness.

About the project and the needs behind

“DANTE – Improving Administrative Procedures and Processes for Danube IWT” project is co-funded by European Union Funds (ERDF, IPA) under the Danube Transnational Programme and will run for 30 months (January 2017 – June 2019).  It will be implemented by a transnational consortium of 16 co-funded organisations and 12 associated strategic partners (public authorities, consulting companies, universities and NGOs) from 10 European countries.  The project has a total budget of 1.982.786,00 Euro, out of which ERDF contribution amounts 1.650.134,75 Euro & IPA contribution amounts 35.233,35 Euro. More information is available at: dtp.interreg-danube.eu/dante

The work of DANTE shall result in reduced time losses and costs caused by ineffective administrative regulations & processes which generate unnecessary financial burden for Danube businesses. This will be achieved in cooperative meetings with public authorities to develop and implement simplified administrative procedures & processes for IWT operations. DANTE outcomes shall strengthen the competitive position of companies using the Danube and its navigable tributaries in their logistic chain, thus contributing to economic growth and the creation of jobs in the region by increased efficient public administration. These achievements together can lead to a better position of inland waterway transport in the modal split by fostering the channelling of the growing transport demand into IWT as the environmentally-friendly low-carbon mode of transportation.

The presentations held at the meeting are available for download here.

Project Coordinator

Pro Danube International – Association for the promotion of transportation on the Danube, Handelskai 265, 1020, Vienna, Austria, www.prodanube.eu

Contact person

Ruxandra Florescu, Pro Danube International, Communication Manager, florescu@prodanube.eu , +43 1 890 66 47 24

This is a common press release of Pro Danube International, the Danube Commission and the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and industry. Any reproduction of parts of this press release or the entire usage of it shall be made with the consent of these organisations.