Project EMMA reaches the end

As February – and thus also project EMMA – turns to an end, it is time for us to look back on the three-year journey of this EUSBSR flagship project. Since 2016, the 21 EMMA project partners from Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden as well as the 48 associated partners and numerous supporters of inland navigation around the BSR have been enhancing inland navigation together. Even though project EMMA will end, the established and strengthened networks will carry on promoting inland navigation and boosting the sustainability of the transport chains in the Baltic Sea Region.

Please find below some pictures that have been taken during this unique journey.

1. In September 2016, project partners met in Klaipeda for a partner meeting and took part in a boat trip in port.
2. As part of the 7th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), EMMA organized a panel that debated the future of inland navigation in Sweden.
3. In November 2016, around 130 participants from around the Baltic Sea Region gathered in Warsaw for the first EMMA/KEO annual conference to discuss how to enhance inland navigation.
4. Container barge transport from Port of Gothenburg to Port of Vänersborg via Göta River demonstrated a new logistics concept in Sweden.
5. On the first promotional and research container cruise along the Vistula River, the barge overcame the distance of 440 kilometers from Gdańsk to Warsaw within 9 days.
6. In May 2017, project EMMA organized a workshop at the Transport Logistic Exhibition Forum during the Transport Logistic exhibition in Munich.
7. In February 2018, the second EMMA/KEO Annual Conference was organized at the Nordic Embassies in Berlin.
8. Participants of the EMMA excursion visited the Niederfinow ship's hoist after the EMMA Annual Conference.
9. In May 2018, inland navigation conference was held in Stockholm to discuss how to establish and develop inland navigation logistics within the regional areas in Sweden.
10. EMMA partners explored the waterways and Trollhättan locks in Sweden in May 2018
11. The seminar “Delivering Smart and Innovative Strategic Transport Projects: post-2020 perspective” was organized as a part of the 9th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).
12. In Finland, project EMMA organized an international seminar cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg along the Saimaa canal, where the participants had a chance to explore the Saimaa locks.
13. EMMA partners gathered in Szczecin for a partner meeting and participated in the cruise along the river Oder.
14. In November, project EMMA organized its final conference “Visions and Opportunities for the Transport Network – Inland Navigation and River-Sea Shipping in the Baltic Sea Region” in Brussels jointly with the Chambers’ Union Elbe/Oder.
15. A highlight of the final EMMA conference was the hand-over of the EMMA policy paper “Strengthening Inland Waterway Transport in Europe and the Baltic Sea Region” to decision-makers by the EMMA lead partner, Port of Hamburg Marketing, together with the European IWT associations that co-authored and support the paper.