6. Conclusion: proven potential

Since the mid-1990s, the inland navigation sector in France has experienced a marked economic downturn. Between 1997 and 2005, business grew by almost 40%.

Inland navigation has been badly hit by the closure of many thermal power plants in the 1980s, and by the profound reorganization of the steel industry.

The 1990s saw the beginnings of a reorganization in terms of market operation, culminating in the liberalization of the market on 1 ^er January 2000.

Today, growth is fueled by container and chemical traffic.

Nevertheless, cereals and building materials remain essential markets.

The outlook is very encouraging, and the commissioning of the Seine-Nord Europe canal in 2012 will give the sector the means to achieve renewed...