In 2023, approximately two-thirds (67.4%) of the total cargo volume of commodities handled within the European Union was transported by sea. The remaining 25.3% was transported by road, 5.5% by rail, 1.6% by inland waterways, and 0.2% by air. This was reported by Eurostat, which noted that, compared to 2013, road transport was the only mode of transport to increase its share, with a 2.8 percentage point increase over ten years, while maritime transport's share decreased by 2.0 percentage points, inland waterways' by 0.6 points, and rail transports’ by 0.2 points. In this context, the Netherlands carried 545 million tons of cargo, preserving its status as the EU's largest country for maritime freight transit. Italy followed with 501 million tons, ahead of Spain with 472 million tons.