Published on 18 August 2026

Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine: strategic importance for Switzerland

All information on Switzerland’s presidency of the CCNR can be found here.

© FDFA

On 1 January 2026, Switzerland assumed the rotating presidency of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR), the oldest existing international organisation in the world, for two years. In doing so, Switzerland underscores the importance it attaches to dialogue and cooperation with its European neighbours and the promotion of international law, in keeping with the objectives of the Foreign Policy Strategy 2024–27.

From the Saint-Gotthard Massif to the North Sea

The Rhine has its source at an altitude of 2,344 metres in the Saint-Gotthard Massif in Switzerland. From its source to Rheinfelden in the canton of Aargau, it stretches for around 350 kilometres as the non-navigable Alpine and Upper Rhine, partly forming the natural border of Switzerland with Austria and Germany.

From Basel, the Rhine becomes a continuously navigable waterway that runs through France, Germany and the Netherlands, where it finally flows into the North Sea at Rotterdam. The Rhine is one of the most important European waterways and is of enormous importance for trade, transport and the economy, and as an entire ecosystem.

The international section of the Rhine is considered a transboundary inland waterway. In such waters, rules of international law apply that ensure freedom of navigation, harmonise safety and environmental standards and prevent conflicts between the states that share them. As the Rhine was originally only navigable from the sea as far as the Middle Rhine Bridge in Basel, the Revised Rhine Navigation Act of 17 October 1868 (Mannheim Convention) establishes this as the start of the international section of the Rhine.

Despite its comparatively short length, this section plays a central role: it gives Switzerland unrestricted access from Basel to the most important European seaports, in particular Rotterdam and Antwerp. The Port of Switzerland in Basel is thus the country's most important gateway to the sea. As Switzerland is a landlocked country, free, safe and well-regulated Rhine shipping is of crucial economic and strategic importance. In addition, the Main–Danube Canal creates a continuous water connection from Basel to the Black Sea.