Two-day international forum in Ruse

Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber hosted a two-day international forum with participation from ship owners, research organizations, designers and representatives of institutions from six Danube countries, which shared experiences and practices for supporting the navigation on the Danube. The General Director of the Danube Commission, Manfred Seitz, participated in the event, organized under project "Grendel".

The Chamber is a Bulgarian partner and continues to work to create more links between the Danube countries.

One of the project goals is the preparation of a proposal for financial instruments, which the Danube countries can use to renovate their fleet. The ship renovation scheme, implemented by Germany, was demonstrated during the meeting in Ruse. The owners there are encouraged to improve the environmental indicators of the vessels – reducing fuel costs and increasing their efficiency.

The financial support scheme should not be seen simply as a struggle to revive the shipping sector, but as an opportunity to develop other economic sectors in Europe. It will give a chance and will have a great impact not only for companies, for different industries, but also for the economies of the Danube countries

said Manfred Seits.

The ship support schemes, developed at the end of the project, will be submitted to the European Commission and the national governments of the Danube countries.