TRAN DRAFT REPORT ON RIVER INFORMATION SERVICES
At the end of December, the European Parliament published the TRAN draft report on the Commission proposal revising the Directive on harmonised River Information Services (RIS). The Rapporteur MEP Tom Berendsen (EPP, Netherlands) supports the Commission’s ambition to further digitalise inland waterway services and reduce administrative burden for IWT users and authorities.
The draft report aligns closely with the Council position agreed in June 2024: the Rapporteur proposes to exclude from the scope of the Directive national inland waterways and inland ports not directly connected to other Member States within the TEN-T network. The draft report also suggests removing provisions related to the interconnection of RIS with IT services for other modes, namely the eFTI Regulation and the European Maritime Single Window environment. The Rapporteur considers that any development in the role and place of eFTI should be addressed via a cross-sectoral review of the eFTI Regulation, without imposing a strict interconnection with RIS at this stage.
The draft report will be discussed during the next TRAN meeting on 29-30 January. MEPs can table amendments until 3rd February. The report is expected to be adopted by the TRAN committee on 18 March.