Network of Danube Waterway Administrations

The objective of waterway administrations is to maintain and improve the Danube waterway for inland navigation, to deploy services for the inland navigation sector and at the same time to preserve and protect the Danube as a habitat. Due to a lack of international cooperation and coordination between waterway authorities up to now taken measures and activities are insufficient. The objective of NEWADA, the first project linking the waterway administrations of all Danube countries, is to promote and support inland navigation by improving the physical accessibility of waterway infrastructure, the quality and accessibility to supporting information as well as mobilising stakeholders in the field of inland navigation. As the main activities of the project, the partners will establish a network in order to harmonise their activities and action plans in the field of waterway maintenance, hydrography and hydrology. In addition the project team will exchange experiences and know-how on best-practice cases which will lead to concepts for common pilot activities. At the end these activities are the basis for projects which will be financed on national or EU budgets. By neglecting the need for a common platform to exchange know-how, experiences, experts and research ambitions inland navigation as well as the preservation of the Danube river will remain as fragmented as it is now, hindering the increase of efficiency and attractiveness of inland navigation as reliable and environmental friendly mode of transport.