Policy & Legislation

This section provides an overview on selected European policy and legislation covering RIS

1. Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community

The deployment of information and communication technologies on inland waterways helps to increase significantly the safety and efficiency of transport by inland waterway.

In some Member States national applications of information services are already being deployed on various waterways. In order to ensure a harmonised, interoperable and open navigational aid and information system on the inland waterway network of the Community, common requirements and technical specifications should be introduced.
This Directive establishes a framework for the deployment and use of harmonised river information services (RIS) in the Community in order to support inland waterway transport with a view to enhancing safety, efficiency and environmental friendliness and to facilitating interfaces with other transport modes.

River information services (RIS) should build on interoperable systems that should be based on open and public standards, available on a non discriminatory basis to all system suppliers and users.

The development of RIS should be based on objectives such as safety, efficiency and the environmental friendliness of inland navigation, which are fulfilled by tasks like traffic and transport management, environment and infrastructure protection and the enforcement of specific rules.

The establishment of technical specifications should include systems such as electronic navigational charts, electronic ship reporting, including a uniform European vessel number system, notices to skippers and vessel tracking and tracing.

Member States shall develop RIS in such a way that the RIS application is efficient, expandable and interoperable, so as to interact with other RIS applications and, if possible, with systems for other modes of transport.
It shall also provide interfaces to transport management systems and commercial activities.

The RIS guidelines referred to in Article 5 shall respect the following principles: (a) the indication of technical requirements for the planning, implementing and operational use of services and related systems; (b) the RIS architecture and organisation; and (c) recommendations for vessels to participate in RIS, for individual services and for the stepwise development of RIS.

2.Navigation and Inland Waterway Action and Development in Europe (NAIADES) COM (2006)

River Information Services (RIS) support the planning and management of traffic and transport operations. They contribute to a more efficient and safer use of waterways, locks, bridges and terminals by optimising electronic data interchange and logistics operations.
It is invaluable for waterway authorities in supporting traffic management tasks and dangerous goods monitoring, and will become of great use for commercial actors.
RIS will lead to increased competitiveness and improved safety, and needs to be implemented and further developed in a coordinated way within the trans-European networks.

3. Freight Transport Logistics Action Plan (FTL)

Transport is an integral element of the logistics supply chain. The Commission’s approach focuses on logistics in freight transport and covers all modes of transport.
Tracking and tracing of cargo in all modes is a prerequisite for efficient logistics.
The introduction of the satellite navigation system GALILEO will have a substantially positive impact on this development and so will the Long-range Identification and Tracking (LRIT), River Information System (RIS) and Automatic Identification System (AIS).
Freight Transport Logistics needs to continue being a research priority under the 7th Framework Programme because modern technological innovation can open up new avenues for the sector.

4. Mid-term review of the 2001 White Paper

The River Information Services (RIS) system is already being deployed on the main European
corridors. Action: continue intelligent mobility programmes road transport (Intelligent Car Initiative and eSafety), in aviation (SESAR), railways (ERTMS), waterborne transport (RIS and SafeSeaNet); making the best use of Galileo navigation signals,…
As major waterways exist only in certain Member States, inland waterway transport accounts for only 3% of overall goods transport; this mode of transport still harbours considerable unexploited potential. Within the RISING project inland waterway transport (IWT) will be the main mode of transport being addressed, whereas interfaces to other modes (road, rail and SSS/MoS) via ports (sea and inland) will be foreseen.