The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation and modification of a German scheme to encourage to freight transport to shift from road to inland waterways and rail. The measure originally approved by the Commission in October 2002 (N 406/2002) and prolonged in six occasions, most recently in April 2022 (SA.101664), was set to expire in September 2022. The purpose of the scheme is to promote the modal shift of freight transport from road to inland waterways and rail. Germany notified to the Commission the following amendments to the scheme: (i) a prolongation until the end of 2026; (ii) a budget increase of €388.5 million, bringing the overall budget to ca. €1.5 billion; and (iii) modifications to the scope of eligible costs, in particular the introduction of the possibility to support the replacement of existing transshipment facilities and equipment. (....)