Newsletter April 2024

In anticipation of the upcoming EU elections in June 2024, EBI has unveiled its manifesto aimed at shaping the policy landscape for boating and nautical tourism in Europe. Titled “Navigating Tomorrow: A vision for a sustainable boating industry #MadeInEurope,” the manifesto outlines a comprehensive strategic approach to drive economic prosperity, sustainability, and innovation in the industry. Key objectives of the manifesto include advancing environmental sustainability, renewing European competitiveness, facilitating European-based tourism across borders, revitalising Europe's…

EBI, together with the consultancy firm Quantis, is pioneering a landmark Environmental Footprint Standard. 16 leading recreational boat manufacturers and 8 industry associations are collaborating to develop the industry's environmental footprint methodology tailored for boats under 24 meters. Aligned with EU regulations, this standard aims to tackle climate change and minimise environmental impact across the entire life cycle of boats. Through a two-phase approach, the project will establish a science-based methodology and subsequently implement it…

The complexity surrounding boater's licences in Europe took centre stage at a recent workshop co-hosted by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) and the consultancy Panteia. It is a topic of great importance both nationally and within the European community. The diverse array of national frameworks governing the license certificates poses a significant challenge in establishing a unified regulatory framework. This fragmentation not only creates obstacles to the formation of a cohesive system…

The EU Commission is having an independent study conducted to assess the possibility of digitalising conformity assessment certificates with a central database for all CE-marked products. This would also include certificates for recreational boats under the RCD. The specific objectives of an IT solution would be to: Ensure product safety by making market surveillance easier and thus reducing fraud in conformity assessments; Trim the bureaucracy of managing CE-marking for all economic actors by reducing paperwork;…