Enhancement of inland navigation on agenda at the Annual Conference

130 participants from Poland, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, Finland and Czech Republic gathered in Warsaw on the 21st of November to discuss how to enhance inland navigation in the Baltic Sea Region.

The conference is organized jointly by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project EMMA and the Chambers’ Union Elbe/Oder, providing representatives of politics, industry and inland navigation a great possibility to exchange knowledge and experiences during the conference.

“Too many organisers of transport chains only have truck transport in their portfolio. Inland shipping is a kind of forgotten transport mode. EMMA will give inland shipping a stronger voice in society and in the industry. This helps to change people’s attitude and brings inland shipping as a reliable and efficient alternative into their minds”, says Gunnar Platz, CEO of PLANCO and Consultant to the Lead Partner.

Port of Hamburg Marketing is the lead partner for the EMMA project that began in March. Thus the conference in Warsaw will also serve as the first annual EMMA Conference that gathers together EMMA partners from Poland, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and Finland.

“The appointment of EMMA as flagship project reflects the importance the European Commission attaches to the further development of inland navigation in the Baltic Sea Region. Now it is time to deliver results and to inspire and to contribute to discussions on future European transport policy developments. With EMMA we will provide pilots, new lines developed and a strong voice for the challenges and needs the inland navigation sector sees in its further development”, says Stefan Breitenbach from Port of Hamburg Marketing, being the Lead Partner of EMMA.

The other organiser of the conference, Chambers’ Union Elbe/Oder, includes more than 30 Polish, Czech and German Chambers of Commerce and Industry that have joined together to promote this economic area.

The conference will be opened by Grzegorz Zaloga, President of the Chambers’ Union Elbe/Oder together with Maciej Brzozowski, Head of the Port of Hamburg Marketing Representative Office in Poland. In addition to the keynote by Dimitrios Theologitis, Senior Expert at the European Commission, the program consists of moderated panel discussions that engage experts to discuss the transnational cooperation in the Oder region as well as the future plans for the Elbe. In the last debate the panellists from around the Baltic Sea Region emphasize the importance of developing one strong voice for inland navigation in Europe.