In January 2006, the European Commission proposed a multi-annual action programme which aims at promoting inland waterway transport in Europe. Numerous reasons support an increased use of inland waterway transport: low energy consumption, low external costs, a large amount of available capacities and low transport costs.  Moreover, inland navigation offers ideal conditions to become an integral part of door-to-door logistics chains.

The NAIADES Action Programmme is an important step forward to fully exploit the market potential of inland waterway transport. Being an integrated programme it combines legislative, coordinating and support measures and focuses on five interdependent strategic areas. The NAIADES Action Programme provides Member States but also the EU itself with guidance for joint action to strengthen navigation. It identifies existing problems and offers specific solutions to eliminate them. The programme is to be implemented between 2006 and 2013. Its target group are persons in charge of inland navigation issues on all levels, i.e. the inland waterway transport sector, the Member States and the European Union.

The action programme focuses on five areas:

1. Creating favourable conditions for services and opening new markets
2. Providing incentives for the modernisation of the fleet and for innovations
3. Creating attractive conditions for new employees and increasing investments in human capital
4. Promoting inland waterway transport as a reliable business partner by setting up a network of promotion centres and
5. Providing an adequate infrastructure for inland waterway transport