The Secretariat
of the Central Commission would like to invite you to take part in a
Round Table to be held at the Palais du Rhin in Strasbourg on Tuesday,
17 February 2009. The Round Table will be devoted to the language used
in navigation on inland waterways, with the aim of both assessing the
present situation which features the activity on the Rhine of an increasing
number of boatmen using different languages and exploring ways in which
the conditions for efficient, reliable communication may be ensured.
Communication constitutes
an essential element of the operations involved in navigation on inland
waterways.
A distinction may be drawn between communication:
- on board, among members of the crew;
- between vessels with a view to clarifying aspects in relation to navigation;
- between vessels and services on land, more particularly in terms of
infrastructure and the civil engineering structures that form part of
it;
- between a vessel and installations on land during the loading and
unloading of cargo.
Since the opening of markets,
including the employment market, constitutes an essential element of
European integration, the inland waterways landscape also reflects European
diversity in terms of the languages used.
In addition, the labour shortage
on the traditional employment markets has given rise to the recruitment
of a growing number of citizens of non-European countries.
Verbal/oral communication
is a key aspect of maintaining a high level of safety in the operations
involved in navigation on inland waterways. It is therefore important
to draw up an inventory, to identify the trends observable in practice,
and to embark on consideration of possible follow-up to the issue of
the languages used in this sector. In view of the complexity of the
issue, the aim of the Round Table is not to identify a universal language
to be imposed on all operators, but rather to determine the conditions
necessary to ensure fluid, simple and efficient communication.