Launched in 2006, the National Action Plan for Navigation on the Danube represented an active inland navigation policy in Austria. The government programme of December 2013 called for a renewal of the instrument to be introduced for the implementation of a strengthened waterway and an upgraded flood protection system. The Action Programme for the Danube will run until 2022 and for the first time combines the objectives of shipping, ecology and flood protection, thus reflecting the multifunctional character and requirements of the Danube.