SUCCESS

The activity of UNII – Italian Internal Navigation Union- essentially is promotional and therefore has effects especially on the development of the inland waterway network of the inland traffic and flows tourist navigation. Since its establishment, the UNII stood out for the realization of important coordination actions, information and awareness. Industry is supported through the organization and participation in conferences and events national and international.

Results achieved

Among the major achievements there is even the actions that led to the approval of the fundamental laws related to inland navigation sector which provided crucial funding for the development of the sector and the inland waterway network. The commitment of UNII was crucial both for the approval of Law 380/90, and for the definition of the route of waterway Padano Veneto system and to obtain the available resources for the infrastructure.

1990 – Law 380/90

The route of waterway Padano Veneto system has been approved, with the multi-year plan for its implementation, with the Decree of the Minister of Transport dated 25 June 1992. The plan provides a rough estimate of the investments, which requires clarifications and revisions, and includes interventions on the following navigable routes:

  1. Po from Casal Monferrato to the Ticino mouth 65.0 km 2. Po from the Ticino mouth to the sea 389.0 km 3. River Ticino from Pavia to the confluence with Po 7.0 km 4. River Mincio from Mantua to the confluence with Po 21.0 km 5.waterwayPo – Brondolo (Chioggia) 19.0 km 6. Waterway Fissero – Tartarus – White – Po di Levante 135.0 km 7. Litoranea Veneta: from Portegrandi to the Isonzo mouth km 130,0 8. waterway Milan – Cremona 66.5 km 9. Waterway Ferrara – Ravenna (extended Ferrarese waterway) 87.0 km 10. waterwayPadua – Venice 28.0 km

Waterways in an advanced realization stage:

  • Waterway Fissero – Tartar – Canal Bianco – Po di Levante for not yet utilized parts: actions needed for its completion are really limited because they are about the raising two bridges, partially already contracted, and refurbishment of some of the banks.
  • WaterwayPadua – Venice: Work can be considered to be made at a 50%.

Waterways in the design phase:

  • Waterway Milan – Cremona between Pizzighettone and Milan
  • Waterway Ferrara – Ravenna, Which is an extension of the Ferrarese Waterway already existing.

The connections with Milan and Ravenna would involve high costs, but would fit in the Waterway Padano Veneto system some centers with a large capacity of traffic . The need to transfer road traffic to other kinds of transport, established in the national planning of transport and its implementing legislation, makes the provision of a concrete realization of the waterway system Padano Veneto in short times.

1998 – Regulation 194/98AND 413/98

Consequently, we can mention the funding of Law of 18 June 1998, no. 194 authorizing the expenditure of 20 billion lire for 1997 and ITL 30 billion for each years 1998 and 1999 and the Law of 30 November 1998, n. 413 about the refinancing of the interventions for the shipbuilding industry and shipping and implementation of Community legislation in the field. Article 11 of the law states that for the purpose of consolidation Waterway Padano Veneto system it has been authorized a fifteen years commitment limit of lire 40 billion per year from the year 2000.

1999 – THE CHIOGGIA Agreement

 

Consequently, on March 13, 1999 in Chioggia was signed a protocol for the development of the waterway Padano Veneto system, signed by the Minister of Transport and Navigation, Tiziano Treu and council members for Transport of the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Valter Santarossa, the Region of Emilia Romagna, Vittorio Pieri, the Lombardy Region, Giorgio Pozzi, the Piedmont Region, William Casoni and Veneto Region, Raffaele Bazzoni.

Since 2000 till nowadays

Following the approval of these laws and the funding provided, the regions involved have been able to invest in the development of infrastructure with the result of a strong impact on the use of the territory by economic operators, citizens and tourists.

The Veneto region is among the regions that have invested enormous resources on the arrangement of many of the black points that created serious obstacles to the navigation, commercial and tourism. The start up of the authomatically opening of the navigation locks with a single operation room in Cavanella d’Adige with a remote control, for example has been a memorable day in the history of inland and solved numerous bottlenecks that were created along the navigable channels.

Goals

UNII is creating, along with technicians and operators that always give an effective contribution to our activities, a concrete proposal to amend the laws governing inland navigation. The amendment proposals of UNII to the Ministry of Transportation aim to solve many of the problems that now hinder the inland maritime fluvial waterways, braking this alternative route for traffic, the inland waterways.

Strong of the achieved results, and thanks to the activities that UNII keeps playing constantly, the main goal of the association is more feasible: to get an efficient transport system through the waterways in Italy, as it is in other European countries.