Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 82/714/EEC of 4 October 1982 laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels'
Date: 1998-03-25
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: harmonisation of standards, inland waterway shipping, maritime safety, technical standard, technological change

25.5.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 157/17

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Directive
amending Directive 82/714/EEC of 4 October 1982 laying down technical requirements for
inland waterway vessels’

(98/C 157/05)

On 2 February 1998 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee,
under Article 75 of the Treaty establishing the European Communities, on the above-mentioned
proposal.

The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 11 March 1998. The rapporteur was
Mr Kielman.

At its 353rd plenary session (meeting of 25 March 1998) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by 101 votes to one with two abstentions.

1. The Commission proposal

1.1.
The main purpose of this proposal is to update
Directive 82/714/EEC of 4 October 1982 in line with
technical progress in order to improve safety and
promote inland waterway transport, which is a very
environmentally friendly mode of transport.

1.2.
Inland navigation vessels in Europe are currently
subject to different regimes as regards technical require-
ments, namely:

1.2.1.
The revised Regulation on Inspection of Ship-
ping on the Rhine of 1 January 1995, the so-called
‘Rhine Rules’, as adopted by the Central Commission
for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR). This applies to
vessels operating on the waterways covered by the
Revised Mannheim Convention (1868) and is legally
binding for its signatories (Belgium, France, Germany,
Netherlands and Switzerland).

1.2.2.
Council Directive 82/714/EEC of 4 October
1982. This directive is of course binding on EU Member
law.
States and must be transposed into national
However, those Member States with inland waterways
which are not linked to the international network can
exempt vessels from the directive’s provisions. This
international waterway network extends to only six
countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Ger-
many and the Netherlands.

1.2.3.
The UN Economic Commission for Europe
(UN-ECE) Recommendations on (uniform) technical
requirements for inland waterway vessels. These rec-
ommendations — which apply outside the EU and are
specified in the Annex to Resolution No 17 (14 October
1981) of
the Working Party on Inland Waterway
Transport — are not legally binding but may be adopted.

1.3.
There are, however, also differences in the
technical level required by the sets of rules mentioned
under point 2.2. The upshot is that, despite the existence
of an international waterway network linking, since the

construction of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in 1992,
the Black Sea to the North Sea, there is no common
standard for vessels operating on this network.

laid

down

requirements

1.4. Hence there is an urgent need to update the
technical
in Direc-
tive 82/714/EEC in line with the latest Rhine Rules.
These contain the most up-to-date safety standards
which have proved their worth in practice; this is why
the UN-ECE has opted for this approach. The adoption
of common technical standards will therefore make it
possible to establish an internal market in inland
waterway transport.

1.5.
The appended table 1 shows when the technical
requirements for inland waterway vessels come into
force following the proposed revision of Directive 82/714
and what kind of inspections will be carried out. The
transitional provisions stipulate when all vessels must
comply with the standards. Finally, every vessel
operating on the specified waterways will be provided
with a Community certificate. The internal market will
then be attained.

2. General comments

2.1. When the above-mentioned measures have been
implemented, transport by inland waterway will be
safer, a coherent set of technical requirements for inland
waterway vessels in the EU will be established and a
contribution made to harmonization on a pan-European
scale.

As regards pan-European harmonization, those
2.2.
associated countries which are linked to the Com-
munity’s waterways (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hunga-
ry, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) must comply with
the requirements of the revised directive.

2.3.
In this way inland waterway transport will be
made easier, a modal shift in favour of waterways will
be encouraged and, given the environmentally friendly
nature of this mode of transport, environmental prob-
lems will be made more manageable.

C 157/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25.5.98

3. Specific comments

It is important that passenger vessels built to
3.1.
carry more than 12 passengers, as well as floating
equipment and floating establishments, are now also to
fall under the scope of the amended directive, subject to
the conditions laid down in its Article 8(4).

3.2.
Sea-going vessels remain exempt from the scope
of the amended directive provided that they are in
possession of the relevant maritime certificates.

3.3.
An important additional advantage of harmo-
nized technical specifications is that carriers and other

suppliers in this sector can operate on a larger internal
market, with a more level playing-field.

4. Conclusions

4.1. On the basis on the arguments outlined above,
the Committee welcomes the proposal to amend Direc-
tive 82/714/EEC of 4 October 1982. It acknowledges the
importance of harmonizing inland waterway transport
as a major subsector of the transport market.

4.2.
The Committee urges the Commission to map
out the consequences of harmonizing the inland water-
ways market in consultation with all the interested
parties, including the economic and social partners.

Brussels, 25 March 1998.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

25.5.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 157/19

APPENDIX

to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

TABLE 1

Technical requirements for inland waterway vessels following the proposed revision of Directive 82/714

Vessel category

Time period

Nature of inspection

New vessels

From 1 July 1998

Vessels in service having a Com-
munity certificate

From 1 July 1998

Full compliance with the technical
requirements of the new Annex II,
equivalent to the Rhine Rules.

Compliance with the transnational
provisions of Chapter
24, new
Annex II.

Vessels in service but laid down before
1 January 1970, operating only on
national networks, not issued with a
Community certificate (as referred to
in Article 8, para. 2, second indent)

From 1 July 1998 to To be issued with certificates specify-
ing areas where vessel does not meet
1 January 2005
requirements of (new) Annex II. These
if
areas to conform to Annex II
replaced or altered.

Vessels in service brought within the
scope of the directive for the first
time, i.e. passenger vessels for more
than 12 people; floating equipment;
floating establishments and instal-
lations

From 1 July 1998 to As above.
31 July 2003 for pass-
enger vessels and from
1 July 1998 to 31 July
2008 for other vessels