EFTA European Free Trade Association : EEA EFTA Comment on maritime transport safety

The consultation
, which was launched in October 2016, formed part of the European Commission's process to identify any excessive burdens, inconsistencies and obsolete or ineffective measures in the area of maritime transport.

In their comment, the EEA EFTA States focus mainly on two issues: the 'single window initiative' and a possible initiative on pilotage exemption certificates (PECs). They recommend that instead of developing a new European single window, the efficiency and functionality of the current single window should be improved by continuing the work based on the principles of the well-established single window in several EU and EEA EFTA States, such as Norway, and the cooperation that already exists among Member States, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the Commission.

The EEA EFTA States also note that any future legislative proposal on PECs should allow for the national derogations and adaptations necessary to maintain the safety of navigation. They recommend that such a proposal should capture the most important basic principles in the PEC system rather than strive towards full harmonisation of PEC requirements across the European Union.

Read the full EEA EFTA comment here.

Find more EEA EFTA comments here.