03 February 2023

EC PUBLISHES SECONDARY LEGISLATION FOR EUROPEAN MARITIME SINGLE WINDOW

The European Commission adopted today a Delegated Regulation and an Implementing Regulation related to the implementation of the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe). The aim of the EMSWe Regulation, adopted in 2019, to facilitate maritime transport and support the industry by reducing the administrative burden linked to the mandatory reporting of information to authorities.

The EMSWe aims to establish a common EU-wide reporting framework and a harmonised dataset. 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. The Commission expects that once fully implemented, EMSWe 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.

The Delegated Regulation creates the so-called harmonised dataset and, by outlining what authorities can request, sets limits to possible data requests. Furthermore, by mapping the dataset to international standards, it should guarantee greater interoperability among different IT systems and promote 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.

Both Regulations will now be reviewed by the European Parliament and the Council, which have the possibility to put an objection on them. The EMSWe framework is expected to be ready for 2025.

Source: European Commission