The Seine-Scheldt network will run through a territory that includes several large cities where 40 million people live and work, and will open up a new gateway to Europe for the trade of goods and the transport of passengers.
In the early 2000s, awareness of the impact of land and air transport on the climate and the planet (carbon footprint, noise pollution, congestion, insecurity, etc.) led European territories to incorporate waterways into the heart of their approach to cooperation once again.
The challenge involved speeding up the modal shift towards river transport against a backdrop of the rise in trade and traffic. The Seine-Scheldt network must respond to this challenge. It is the centrepiece of the North Sea-Mediterranean Corridor, one of the 9 multimodal corridors that should enable the development of a core trans-European multimodal transport network by 2030.
VNF has been responsible for managing the Seine-Scheldt EEIG since 2010.
Within the Seine-Scheldt EEIG, there is a high quality collaboration, committed to dialogue, consultation and high standards. The members are in regular contact and have spent years working together, giving rise to a genuine spirit of partnership within the group. This means that the Seine-Scheldt EEIG can oversee the implementation of the network in accordance with the Implementing Decision drawn up with the European Commission.
Download the Implementing Decision
La Décision d’Exécution prévoit :
The Implementing Decision includes:
The Implementing Decision also covers general actions for the whole network:
The result of a partnership and concerted approach, Seine-Scheldt not only forges waterway links between territories: it also strengthens the links between all the stakeholders involved as well as encourages social cohesion.
The businesses affected by the implementation of the Seine-Scheldt network include some that already use the waterway, whatever their size or area of activity.
Some have historical links to river transport (such as construction, chemical, metalwork and food businesses).
Others are developing emerging activities around the waterway, such as urban river distribution and the circular economy.
Beyond that, Seine-Scheldt is of interest to every business that has to deal with road congestion in northern Europe, which sees this multimodal network as a credible, sustainable alternative to road transport.
The Seine-Scheldt is the largest investment project on the European waterway network, with €10 billion committed by 2030.
A high priority project for Europe’s transport policy, since 2000 the Seine-Scheldt network has benefited from substantial funding from the European Union, who contributed €176 million between 2007 and 2014 and €317 million between 2014 and 2020. In June 2022, a third funding of €276 million was granted by the European Commission for the period 2021-2027, in order to continue the successful implementation of the network.
