The European Parliament and Council have agreed on a regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window, to the approval of industry groups.
The creation of an EU-wide Single Window dataset, has been lauded by the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the World Shipping Council. The regulation will replace the Reporting Formalities Directive and builds on the existing National Single Windows and Port Community Systems reporting mechanisms.
The Single Window regulation will provide: a standardised interface system to provide information to ship operators in the same format across the EU; and a maximum dataset to include only the information necessary for the operation and management of ports and port terminals, with any relevant data with which authorities have been provided to be made available.
John Butler, World Shipping Council CEO and President, mentioned: “The agreement not only harmonizes the data that must be reported but also the way that it is to be transmitted. The E.U. machine to machine interface module as required by the Regulation will simplify the process of reporting data as long as it is implemented identically in each national single window without deviation. The adoption of the legal text is the first important step. The next is to deliver the benefits through loyal implementation.”
