Geneva, 6 May 1999
ECE/TRANS/99/5
GREEN LIGHT TO
THE EUROPEAN
INLAND WATERWAY NETWORK
The European Agreement on Main Inland
Waterways of International Importance (AGN) will enter into force
on 26 July 1999.
This international Agreement, done by all
European countries in Geneva in the framework of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), identifies the
main international inland waterway links in Europe and
establishes uniform infrastructure and operational parameters to
which they should conform.
The international E inland waterways
network defined in the Agreement covers around 28,000 km of main
navigable rivers and canals and about 350 ports of international
importance extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural
mountains and connecting 37 countries in Europe and beyond. It
also includes coastal routes.
Nine European countries: Bulgaria,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Republic of
Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland have so far become
Parties to the AGN, thereby committing themselves to the
development of the parts of the E inland waterway network in
their territories according to the uniform conditions agreed upon
in the Agreement and in the context of their own investment
programmes.
The Agreement underlines the importance
of inland water transport which, in comparison with other modes
of inland transport, presents economic and environmental
advantages and may, therefore, contribute to reducing congestion,
traffic accidents and negative environmental impacts in the
pan-European transport system, particularly along main congested
international transport corridors in Europe.
The AGN completes the already existing
UN/ECE European Agreements AGR, AGC and AGTC, which established
the international E road, E rail and E combined transport
networks respectively.
For further information, please
contact:
José Capel Ferrer,
Director
or
Viatcheslav Novikov,
Economic Affairs Officer
Transport Division
United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Telephone: (+41 22) 917 24 00 /
78
Fax: (+41 22) 907 00 39
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]