Industry Hails EU Maritime Single Window

The EU Social Partners in the maritime sector, European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), welcome the adoption by Members of the European Parliament of the proposal for a Regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment.

The industry associantions said in a joint press release that they look forward to the soon expected formal adoption by the Council in order for the Regulation to enter into force and deliver on the much-awaited administrative simplification for shipping.

For several years now the maritime transport social partners have called for a reduction of the administrative burden for shipping. The endless paperwork faced today is detrimental to the motivation and functioning of the masters and officers working onboard and the onshore shipping companies’ staff, as well as to smooth shipping operations in ports.

ECSA and ETF believe the new Regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment will bring harmonisation and re-use of information and can reduce the administrative burden on crew and operators caused by the previous Reporting Formalities Directive. With the adoption of the Regulation, shipping is a big step closer to enjoying a genuine single market with true facilitation and simplification.

ETF and ECSA are pleased to see that there will be a harmonised, exhaustive list of the data elements that needs to be provided. Additional requirements can only be allowed in exceptional and duly justified circumstances.

They welcome in particular that harmonised spreadsheets will be developed and accepted in any port and that manual reporting can be done via a user-friendly graphical user interface that must be constructed and look in such a way that one can easily navigate through it and fulfill the reporting obligations whatever port is called at.