COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT Accompanying the document Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2005/44/EC on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community
Date: 2024-01-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: European Interoperability Framework, exchange of information, harmonisation of standards, information system, inland waterway shipping, maritime safety, network of navigable waterways, technical specification, trans-European network

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 26.1.2024  SWD(2024) 16 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT  Accompanying the document Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2005/44/EC on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community            {COM(2024) 33 final} - {SEC(2024) 38 final} - {SWD(2024) 15 final}  
 
 
A. Need for action 

What is the problem and why is it a problem at EU level? 

River  Information  Services  (RIS)  support  traffic  and  transport  management  in  inland 
navigation. They aim to contribute to: (i) a safe and efficient transport process; and (ii) the use 
inland  waterways  to  their  fullest  extent.  The  legislative  process  to  regulate  RIS  at  EU  level 
started in 2005 with the adoption of the RIS Directive (Directive 2005/44/EC). The Directive 
lays  down  a  framework  for  the  deployment  and  use  of  harmonised,  interoperable  and  open 
RIS  aiming  to  increase  the  safety,  efficiency  and  environmental  friendliness  of  inland 
waterway  transport  (IWT)  in  the  EU.  At  the  same  time,  the  Directive  sought  to  facilitate 
interfaces between IWT and other transport modes (i.e. multimodal transport). Within the EU 
framework, the Directive sets out: (i) the general requirements for how RIS should be set up 
by the Member States; (ii) the areas for which standards need to be developed; and (iii) the 
principles to be followed. The actual technical guidelines and specifications are developed by 
the Commission and are adopted through secondary legislation. 

Following an evaluation of the Directive carried out in 2021 and the stakeholder consultation, 
the  problem  identified  in  the  impact  assessment  is  the  slow  and  fragmented  deployment  of 
RIS, which hampers the competitiveness and safety of the sector, and its contribution to the 
objectives of the European Green Deal. 

What should be achieved? 

The revision of the RIS Directive should provide an effective framework for the deployment 
and  use  of  harmonised  RIS  in  the  EU  with  a  focus  on:  (i)  enabling  improvements  in  the 
competitiveness  and  safety  of  the  sector;  and  (ii)  its  contribution  to  the  objectives  of  the 
European Green Deal. To this end, the initiative aims to address the problem identified. The 
specific objectives of the initiative are to: (i) ensure improved RIS data availability, improved 
access to RIS, and the use of harmonised standards; (ii) facilitate the integration of IWT into 
the multimodal chain; (iii) ensure the greater uptake and interoperability of digital solutions; 
and (iv) address data-protection concerns. 

What is the value added of action at the EU level (subsidiarity)? 

The  2021  evaluation  concluded  that  the  benefits  of  the  Directive  could  not  have  been 
achieved at the national level, primarily due to the high fragmentation of both standards and 
implementation  practices.  The  evaluation  highlighted  that  the  fragmentation  in  the 
deployment  of  RIS  requires  EU-level  intervention  due  to  the  cross-border  character  of  the 
IWT  sector.  This  initiative  will  provide  additional  EU  added  value  by  improving  the 
efficiency  of  RIS  (in  terms  of  technical  standards,  adoption  processes,  and  the  improved 
exchange of information), and by better integrating inland waterways into multimodal supply 
chains. Furthermore, even though the problem is geographically limited, impacting only those 
Member  States  with  connected  navigable  waterways,  action  at  EU  level  is  more  likely  to 
ensure that solutions: (i) are uniform for all Member States concerned; and (ii) consistent with 
relevant  initiatives  under  the  European  Green  Deal,  the  sustainable  and  smart  mobility 
strategy, and the NAIADES III action plan.  

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B. Solutions 

What are the various options to achieve the objectives? Is there a preferred option or 
not? If not, why? 

Three  policy  options  (PO-A,  PO-B,  PO-C)  have  been  designed  and  assessed  to  address  the 
problems and the problem drivers that have been identified. All policy options contain various 
measures to help achieve the objectives of the initiative, although each option has a different 
level of effectiveness and efficiency. 

PO-A includes two policy measures that are common to all three policy options: (i) ensuring 
data  availability  and  quality  in  the  Electronic  Document  and  Records  Management  System 
(ERDMS); and (ii) introducing the European committee for drawing up standards in the field 
of inland navigation (CESNI) for developing technical specifications for RIS. In addition, PO-
A relies on guidelines to increase harmonisation of implementation of RIS, and introduces a 
complaint mechanism at the level of the Member States. In terms of links with other modes, 
PO-A  provides  for  voluntary  links  with  electronic  freight  transport  information  (eFTI) 
platforms. In addition, it provides legal clarity over the use of personal data where required.  

PO-B goes further in supporting the development of RIS, by adding new standards on data for 
navigation  and  voyage  planning,  and  establishing  a  RIS  platform  for  data  exchange. 
Additionally, it: (i) sets standards; (ii) requires links between RIS and systems used in other 
transport modes (e.g. maritime); (iii) mandates links with eFTI; and (iv) introduces standards 
for  voluntary  exchanges  of  information  with  maritime  ports.  It  also  aligns  the  scope  of 
application with that of the TEN-T network.  

PO-C  strengthens  the  provisions  of  PO-B  and  adds  further  elements.  To  support  the 
monitoring of implementation, it introduces a performance-measurement framework. It adds a 
number  of  elements  requiring  the  electronic  reporting  of  voyage  plans  to  national  transport 
authorities,  and  the  sharing  of  all  necessary  cross-border  data  for  traffic  and  transport 
management  by  the  Member  States.  Furthermore,  it  makes  mandatory  the  data  exchanges 
with inland ports, while also introducing templates for personal data exchanges when required 
by national and international legislation. 

PO-B  is  the  preferred  policy  option,  because  it  brings  the  best  balance  between  the 
objectives that must be achieved, and has the best benefits-to-costs ratio of the policy options. 
It  ensures  a  degree  of  proportionality  in  the  intervention,  and  is  fully  in  line  with  the 
subsidiarity principle. In addition, it does not introduce burdens for the private sector. 

What are different stakeholders’ views? Who supports which option? 

Stakeholders widely supported the involvement of CESNI in the development and adoption of 
technical specifications.  Stakeholders were also in agreement that RIS COMEX provides an 
important basis for further development of the RIS platform. A small number of RIS experts 
expressed  the  view  that  the  Directive  was  already  sufficiently  broad,  and  that  focus  should 
instead  be  placed  on  implementation  and  on  the  introduction  of  guidelines,  which  was 
reflected in the approach under PO-A. Differences in opinions appeared in particular between 
Member  State  authorities  and  vessel  operators  over  the  likely  costs  and  benefits  of  the 
complaint  mechanism  (Member  States  tended  to  be  against)  and  of  electronic  voyage 

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reporting (vessel operators tended to be against). The links  between RIS and eFTI triggered 
some  discussions,  with  some  Member  State  authorities  considering  that  these  links  need  to 
become  mandatory,  while  vessel  operators  were  more  sceptical  (while  some  saw  this  as  a 
potential  opening  for  business-to-business  applications).  Last  but  not  least,  there  was  clear 
concern from the side of vessel operators (and in particular those representing SMEs) about 
the  use  of  personal  data  (though  there  did  not  appear  to  be  a  clear  understanding  of  what 
would qualify as personal data).  

C. Impacts of the preferred option 

What are the benefits of the preferred option (if any, otherwise main ones)? 

The preferred policy option (PO-B) results in total benefits estimated at EUR 450.4 million, 
expressed as present value over the whole period 2025-2050 relative to the baseline. 

Vessel  operators  would  benefit  from  adjustment-cost  savings  due  to  better-quality 
information  and  reduced  efforts  to  collect  the  necessary  information  to  plan  their  voyage 
(EUR 72.1 million expressed as a present value over 2025-2050 relative to the baseline). PO-
B would also result in administrative-cost savings for vessel operators (of EUR 28.5 million), 
by reducing  the need  to  re-register cargo information and report cargo information to  ports. 
RIS  software-services  providers  would  experience  adjustment-cost  savings  due  to  improved 
access to better-quality information, which will reduce the costs of their software applications 
(by EUR 8.1 million). For national public authorities, PO-B would result in administrative-
cost  savings  through  the  electronic  processing  of  cargo  information  (instead  of  paper  cargo 
reports) and the phase-out of national platforms, which would be gradually replaced by RIS 
COMEX. 

PO-B is also expected to result in indirect benefits to society, in terms of savings in external 
costs, estimated at EUR 311 million expressed as present value over the whole period 2025-
2050 relative to the baseline. These are driven by the greater use of IWT and the shift away 
from road transport. 

When considering the costs, the net benefits for the preferred policy option are estimated at 
EUR 356.7 million, expressed as present value over the whole period 2025-2050 relative to 
the baseline. PO-B has the highest benefit-to-cost ratio (4.8) of all the three options. 

What are the costs of the preferred option (if any, otherwise main ones)? 

For  national  public  authorities,  PO-B  is  expected  to  result  in  one-off  adjustment  costs  of 
EUR 18.3  million  to  set  up  the  required  digital  infrastructure,  and  administrative  costs  of 
EUR 75.3 million for managing and maintaining the required systems and services, expressed 
as present value over 2025-2050 relative to the baseline.  

What are the impacts on SMEs and competitiveness? 

The IWT sector is characterised by a very high share of SMEs – and even micro-enterprises – 
among  the  vessel  operators,  which  are  often  family-owned  businesses.  Software-services 
providers represent a niche market, with less than 50 companies active in this area, most of 
which  employ  fewer  than  250  people.  For  vessel  operators,  PO-B  would  result  in  net  cost 
savings  estimated  at  total  EUR  100.6  million,  expressed  as  present  value  over  the  whole 
period  2025-2050  relative  to  the  baseline,  primarily  materialising  in:  (i)  time  saved  for 

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planning  voyages;  (ii)  time  saved  on  reporting  requirements;  and  (iii)  improvements  in 
navigation  efficiency.  Software-services  providers  would  benefit  from  cost  savings  of  total 
EUR  8.1  million  through  reduced  efforts  to  collect  basic  information.  Considering  the  very 
large share of SMEs  among vessel  operators  and software-services providers, most of these 
net  cost  savings  are  expected  to  be  attributed  to  SMEs,  although  the  available  data  did  not 
make  it  possible  to  estimate  the  split  of  these  cost  savings  between  the  two  groups  of 
operators (i.e. SMEs and others).  

Will there be significant impacts on national budgets and administrations? 

Total  costs  for  national  public  authorities  are  estimated  at  EUR  93.6  million,  out  of  which 
EUR 18.3 million would be in adjustment costs and EUR 75.3 million in administrative costs. 
PO-B  would  also  result  in  EUR  30.6  million  in  administrative-cost  savings.  Thus,  the  net 
costs  for  national  public  authorities  are  estimated  at  total  EUR  63  million,  expressed  as 
present value over the whole period 2025-2050 relative to the baseline. 

Will there be other significant impacts? 

The  initiative  will  have  a  positive  impact  on  the  application  of  the  ‘digital  by  default’ 
principle. PO-B establishes a RIS Platform for exchange of RIS information. Furthermore, by 
mandating the use of eFTI, and by introducing better links with ports and other modes, PO-B 
will improve the interoperability of IWT through digital solutions. The revision does not aim 
to replicate existing systems and initiatives but to increase the links between existing systems 
and make use of existing solutions. It also does not aim to develop into a single digital tool for 
IWT,  as  it  forms  part  of  a  family  of  applications  like  the  databases  for  crews  and  vessel 
information.  

Proportionality 

The  preferred  policy  option  is  considered  to  be  the  most  proportionate  option  to  what  is 
necessary to reach the overall policy objectives. 

D. Follow-up 

When will the policy be reviewed? 

Five years after the end of  the implementation  date of all the relevant  legislation (including 
the  adoption  and  entry  into  effect  of  the  necessary  implementing  and  delegated  acts),  the 
Commission  should  carry  out  an  evaluation  to  verify  to  what  extent  the  objectives  of  the 
initiative have been reached. 

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