Why are western Europe's rivers essential to its economy

The rivers provide routes for shipping, exporting, and importing goods.

Explanation:

In Western Europe, rivers are often used as transportation systems. The main advantage of this type of transport over other types of transport is that there is no congestion or capacity problems. Most importantly, it has low environmental impact. In Europe, there are more than 37,000 km of waterways suitable for river transport. For example, Main-Danube waterway, completed in 1992, serves as a traffic route between Eastern and Western Europe.