The federal government is expected to implement additional measures against low water levels at the request of the states. This expectation emerged from a submission by North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to the Conference of Transport Ministers, as reported by Politico.
Oliver Krischer, the NRW Minister of Transport, told the magazine that they must “utilize the scopes we have short-term.” He emphasized that the Conference of Transport Ministers should highlight that the federal government must ensure the conditions for efficient inland shipping within its areas of responsibility, especially given the increasing periods of drought caused by climate change.
NRW anticipates that the Federal Ministry of Transport must accelerate the development of the existing 8-point plan “Low Water Rhine” (2018) and the “Inland Shipping Master Plan” (2019), ensuring that the states are involved in this process. Furthermore, during the revision of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan, the federal government should improve the navigability of federal waterways even when water levels are low. This involves developing a comprehensive strategy in cooperation with the federal agencies for water engineering and hydrology.
Finally, North Rhine-Westphalia’s submission also calls for a change in the EU aid rules. The goal is to secure funding through the European support program for the construction of 1,000 vessels that are designed to navigate successfully during low water periods, within the next EU funding cycle of 2028 to 2035.
