Directive 87/2006, regarding the technical conditions for river vessels, introduced this new type of safety certificate. The deadline for transposition into the national law of the Member States was 30 December 2008. Therefore, a certificate obtained after this time in a Member State becomes applicable throughout the EU and even in some neighbouring countries.
The new certificate is valid for navigation on all inland waterways, including the Rhine. Moreover, the technical requirements outlined the standards required for the Navigation of the Rhine. The old Directive stated the introducing of a single certificate at European level, valid for all waterways, less Rhine.
Besides removing the privileged status of the Rhine, based on decisions of committees of the river Rhine and Danube, adopted at the end of last year, the new certificate is also available for the navigation on the two rivers outside the European Union (in Switzerland and Croatia, Serbia, Moldavia and Ukraine).
In the new directive, inland waterways are classified into four different areas, plus the Rhine area, and according to technical requirements imposed on the area of river vessels can be relaxed or tightened. Any derogation is sustained by taking into account the local conditions of navigation. On the other hand, the new directive, in addition to the technical requirements stated a quarter century ago, provides the opportunity to review them periodically to reflect technological progress.
