Poland ratifies Inland Waterways agreement
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
07.03.2017 15:22
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Poland ratifies Inland Waterways agreement
Poland has ratified the European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways, hoping to open a new era in inland water transport both on a domestic and continental scale.
Polish President Andrzej Duda signing the agreement. Photo: President.pl
Speaking at the ratification ceremony, Polish President Andrzej Duda said: “I am very glad that after many talks and preparations we could ratify this exceedingly important agreement. It is to bring us into the European water transport community.”
Duda said the agreement was forged in 1996 in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations by 18 European countries.
Adapting Polish inland waterways to European standards is estimated to cost some PLN 76 billion, but officials hope for PLN 300 billion in profits.
The document signed concerns three waterways: the E30 linking the Baltic Sea with the Danube in Slovakia, the E40 from Gdańsk to Odessa in Ukraine, and the E70 linking the Odra river with the Vistula Lagoon.
Elżbieta Krajewska reports that the entire European network of inland waterways is now more than 27,000 kilometres long and links ports in 37 countries.