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Mobility and Transport
News article3 February 2023Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

Maritime transport: supporting industry by reducing the administrative burden

The European Commission is taking another important step today towards the implementation of the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe) with the publication of a Delegated Regulation and an Implementing Regulation.

The aim of the EMSWe is to facilitate maritime transport and support the industry by reducing the administrative burden linked to the mandatory reporting of information to authorities. Achieving this critical goal is highly anticipated by operators in Europe.

Once fully implemented, EMSWe will contribute to a better functioning of the internal market to meet the needs of citizens and businesses. It is estimated to save up to 2.5 million work hours each year, equivalent to a value of €69 million, and to make jobs on board ships more attractive.

Today, each Member State has their own Maritime National Single Window for mandatory reporting, and ships have to adjust their practices depending on the port call Member State. EMSWe aims to establish a common EU-wide reporting framework and a harmonised dataset.

The Delegated Regulation creates such a dataset and, by outlining what authorities can request, sets limits to possible data requests. Furthermore, by mapping the dataset to international standards, it guarantees greater interoperability among different IT systems and promotes data sharing beyond the EMSWe framework.

The Implementing Regulation defines common functionalities and services to be present in each Maritime National Single Window, making them more accessible to operators. An important additional element of the EMSWe framework is mandatory publication of the arrival and departure times of ships that will ensure crucial information to reach other operators along the logistic chain in a timely manner, allowing them to better share resources.

To complete the implementation of the ESMWe Regulation, the Commission, in collaboration with Member States and with the assistance of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), is working on further Implementing Acts. The framework should gradually become operational from 2025.

Details

Publication date
3 February 2023
Author
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport