eIWT, electronic tool for inland waterways transport requirements : architecture, requirements & stakeholders considerations

The Commission adopted in February 2016 a proposal for a Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation. The proposal sets a new competence based approach, which will allow the recognition of qualifications across the EU and provide for new career opportunities. The Commission proposal foresees the harmonisation of the format and procedure related to Service Record Books (SRBs) and logbooks (LBKs) at EU level and facilitates the electronic exchange of information through the setting up of registers and a central database. In doing so, it paves the way for the introduction of electronic tools, with a view to reduce the administrative burden whilst rendering the documents less prone to tampering. There is a need for a reliable tool for crew members' professional record facilitating the implementation of the future Directive on the recognitions of professional qualifications and, optionally, providing a platform for additional IWT electronic services. In this context, JRC provides to the Commission, through the eI2WT administrative arrangement specific assistance for the characterization of options for an architecture covering, as a minimum, electronic SRB and LBK. The final eIWT report (D.3 - Requirements), issued on July 2106, concluded the eI2WT project. Following-up of the eIWT project, a workshop was held at the JRC Ispra premises, on September 6 2016, with the participation of most of the important stakeholders (member state authorities, professional associations and shipping industry). All participating stakeholders had the eIWT final report well ahead of the workshop and made concrete proposals regarding the future implementation of the electronic tools. This report, final deliverable of the eIDTS JRC institutional activity, based on the 3rd and final deliverable of the eIWT study, has the purpose of outlining the functional requirements of the eIWT system, incorporating the comments and amendments proposed by the IWT stakeholders and discussed during the eIWT workshop. It will substitute the final eIWT report and will be the base for development of eIWT functional standards.