OBJECTIVE: guarantee the highest level of safety in inland navigation and to establish the single
market in waterway transport services through the adoption of common technical standards.
SUBSTANCE: the Commission seeks to update without delay technical standards relating to inland
waterway vessels laid down in Directive 82/714/EEC, since they are now out of date. This process
should take the form of a revision of the technical requirements in line with the latest Rhine rules,
not only because they represent the most up-to-date safety standards which have also proved their
worth in practice but because this is also the approach being adopted by the UN Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE).
The action will improve safety in inland waterway transport, ensure a single set of technical
requirements for inland waterway vessels within the EU and also contribute to harmonization at pan-European level. It will facilitate transport by inland waterway and thereby contribute to a modal shift
in favour of waterways and a reduction in the overall level of environmental damage brought about
by transport activities. In addition, shipbuilders will be able to construct vessels according to
harmonized specifications for a larger single market.
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