Recital 12

(12)Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139 lays down technical screening criteria for key waterborne activities. The technical screening criteria applicable after 2025 for inland waterway vessels reflect a gradual reduction of emissions towards 2050, based on the assessment of the greenhouse gas intensity of the energy used by inland waterway transport vessels, on a well-to-wake emissions basis. To ensure usability of the applicable technical screening criteria for maritime freight and passenger transport, and to align those technical screening criteria with recently adopted international and Union reference values, the technical screening criteria should be updated. Those reference values include the Phase 3 of the International Maritime Organisation Energy Efficiency Design Index ⁹ applicable from 1 January 2025, the Energy Efficiency Index of Existing Ships ¹⁰ that entered into force on 1 January 2023, and greenhouse gas intensity limits for the energy used onboard as established by a Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 ¹¹ of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport and amending Directive 2009/16/EC, applicable from 1 January 2025. To ensure a level playing field with rail transport, the technical screening criteria for inland waterway transport infrastructure should be revised and should include the inland waterway transport infrastructure modernisation as that infrastructure is essential to ensure the navigation of zero emissions vessels on waterways. To ensure a level playing field with rail, road, and water transport infrastructures, the technical screening criteria for low carbon airport infrastructure should be revised to include transhipment between modes of transport.