BELGIUM: The European Commission has approved a state aid  scheme which is designed to encourage the modal shift from road to rail and inland waterway of freight traffic to and from Belgian seaports.

The €70m scheme running to the end October 2023 provides a subsidy per train or per container to rail operators and barge consolidation terminals. This is designed to cover the additional costs incurred when combining freight volumes for efficient and cost-effective transport.

Announcing its decision on October 24, the European Commission said it had found that the measure was necessary to provide shippers with incentives to opt for less polluting modes of transport while at the same time reducing road congestion.