The General Secretary of Pro Danube International, Mr. Róbert Rafael, was invited to participate at the 10th Workshop on the follow-up of the Joint Statement on Guiding Principles on the Development of Inland Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Danube River Basin organised at the premises of the Danube Commission in Budapest.

Representing a network comprised of more than 150 businesses, Mr. Rafael stressed the importance of  appropriate fairway maintenance, widely harmonised administrative requirements, adequate port infrastructure and last but not least, the urgent need to modernise the Danube fleet.

Pro Danube International has tackled throughout the years several aspects that hinder the development of inland waterway transport (IWT) at its full potential. DANTE, DAPhNE and GRENDEL addressed the objectives defined in the policy framework "Green Deal for Danube River Transport". Green Deal is a cooperative policy instrument which provides a coordinated framework for joint public and private actions to improve the efficiency and eco-performance of Danube IWT. While the aim of DANTE was to harmonise as widely as possible administrative requirements at the transnational level, DAPhNE addressed the development of Danube ports. Both projects produced tangible results that are widely recognized at the transnational level. GRENDEL addresses the challenging modernisation process of the Danube fleet, having the core objective to implement a harmonised State Aid Scheme to support the greening of the fleet.