The Senate unanimously, without amendments, adopted a law on the ratification to the European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways of International Importance, known as AGN Agreement , in Geneva on 19 January 1996, which Parliament adopted on 14 December 2016.
AGN Agreement undertakes Poland to adapt the terms of navigation on the main waterways for at least the fourth class of navigability. The lower classes do not entitle the use of EU funds earmarked for TEN-T (Trans-European transport network).
Accession, by Poland, to the AGN Agreement is also a step towards the fulfillment of the obligations of i.e. so-called the White Paper (Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area issued in 2011 by European Commission) assuming that 30% of transport should be carried by waterway by 2030 (in 2050, it should be more than 50%). Currently, in Poland, road transport accounts for 86%, rail transport 12,5% and water transport only 0.4%.
The agreement will be send to the President of Poland for signing and then will be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
- Maciej Jaśkiewicz