Philip Easthill started as Secretary-General of EBI in September. He takes up his position from September and follows in the footsteps of Sandrine Devos. He joins EBI after working in Public Affairs and Association Management. He also has a strong personal connection to the recreational boating industry, having grown up as an avid sailor and worked as a commercial skipper. Together with the Council and its new President Jean-Pierre Goudant, he will be lead the association on the key topics for the industry from skills to environmental policy, tourism and international trade relations.

At Cannes Yachting Festival, the collaboration agreement between the European Boating Industry (EBI) and ICOMIA was renewed. The partnership aims to bring the interests of the leisure marine industry to the attention of the EU institutions and stakeholders with the aim to advocate for the common interests of the leisure marine industry. The agreement was signed by Andrea Razeto (President, ICOMIA), Udo Kleinitz (Secretary-General, ICOMIA), Jean-Pierre Goudant (President, EBI) and Philip Easthill (Secretary-General, EBI).

Data from the European Marine Casualty Information Platform (EMCIP) is now freely available online. The database provides information on marine casualties and incidents since 2011. Access was previously restricted to public authorities. The overall aim of this is to bring greater awareness to marine casualties and incidents, why they occurred, the safety measures taken and recommendations resulting from the investigations. The database also includes information from incidents related to recreational boats. The full platform can be found here.

The European Commission has decided on a number of strategic areas to focus on for the new research framework programme Horizon Europe. This will follow on from the current programme Horizon 2020. This new framework programme will last from 2021 until 2027. This includes moon landing-styled missions aimed at tackling some of the greatest challenges that Europe faces. One of these is “Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters”.

Its mission board will be chaired by Pascal Lamy, a former Trade Commissioner and Director-General of the World Trade Organisation with representation from various experts. The full composition and further information about the mission(s)s can be found here.

While the negotiations between the United Kingdom and European Union are ongoing, the preparations are likewise continuing on both sides. Under the current state-of-play, the United Kingdom will leave the EU without a deal on 31 October unless there are further developments. 

EBI urges its members to take careful note of the Brexit preparedness notices provided by the European Commission for the sector.
These include in particular:

On Thursday 12 September, at Cannes Yachting Festival, a collaboration agreement between the European Boating Industry (EBI) and ICOMIA was renewed. This partnership aims to bring the interests of the leisure marine industry to the attention of the EU institutions and stakeholders with the aim to advocate for the common interests of the leisure marine industry.

The European Boating Industry (EBI) represents the European leisure marine industry. It encompasses all sectors relating to boating such as boatbuilding, equipment manufacturing, marinas and service providers. EBI is an established stakeholder at EU level, defending and promoting the interests of its members on key issues ranging from Single Market legislation to blue growth, tourism and trade policy.

ICOMIA is an international association, whose full members are global marine industry associations. ICOMIA is a longstanding stakeholder in in the various relevant working groups of the EU Commission and employs technical and environmental specialists who are already engaged in EU related work. Its mission is to act as the voice of the recreational marine industry worldwide to facilitate, influence, inform and research.

Udo Kleinitz, Secretary General of ICOMIA, said:
“Europe is a large and important market at approximately 30% of our industry, however not governed by the European Institutions rather than a national government. So naturally, there is great relevance for both organisations in understanding and shaping the developments that affect the marine leisure sector. ICOMIA and EBI have overlapping membership in form of its national member associations. Our members wish us to cooperate rather than duplicate work, so I am very positive about the renewal of the SLA.”

Through this agreement, ICOMIA will continue to provide technical and environmental support and ensure cohesive representation of and communication with EBI and ICOMIA members. ICOMIA will assist EBI with advice and expertise in any statistical work or studies that it wishes to commission, including the provision of the annual ICOMIA Statistics Book. EBI will continue acting as the voice of the recreational boating industry in Europe, providing input to policy discussions impacting the sector.

ICOMIA is looking forward to working together with the new Secretary General of EBI, Philip Easthill.

Philip Easthill, Secretary General of EBI, said:
“We are delighted to have renewed our partnership with ICOMIA, which shows the strong alignment between our two organisations and we look forward to the cooperation. At a crucial time in discussions on issues ranging from environmental policy to trade and industry policy in the EU, we look forward to working with our colleagues at international level to unite on key issues for our sector and provide input to policy-makers and stakeholders.”

For more info on ICOMIA visit www.icomia.org

Brussels, 30.08.2019 – After the recent election of the new leadership of the European Boating Industry (EBI), Philip Easthill was appointed as Secretary-General. He takes up his position from September and follows in the footsteps of Sandrine Devos, who the Council thanks for her strong support over the past years.

Philip Easthill joins EBI after working in Public Affairs and Association Management in the past years. He also has a strong personal connection to the recreational boating industry, having grown up as an avid sailor and worked as a commercial skipper. Together with the Council and its new President Jean-Pierre Goudant, he will be leading the association on the key topics for the industry from skills to environmental policy, tourism and international trade relations.

Commenting on the appointment, EBI President Jean-Pierre Goudant said “We are delighted to complete our leadership team with Philip Easthill as Secretary-General. Representing the recreational boating sector, we look forward to promoting a common vision and engaging with Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and stakeholders across Europe to further develop the positive economic impact of our industry.”

Philip Easthill, EBI Secretary-General commented “I very much appreciate the trust placed in me as Secretary-General of EBI and representing this exciting sector. The sector is integral to tourism, job creation in local economies and the success of small and medium-sized companies across Europe. Together with the EBI leadership I look forward to working with the new EU institutions and the key players for the recreational boating sector over the coming years.”

About EBI
Based in Brussels (Belgium), close to the European Parliament and in the heart of the EU quarter, European Boating Industry represents the interests of the European leisure marine industry and its members.
The membership of European Boating Industry encompasses all sectors relating to boating and water sports: Boat builders (sailing, motor and inflatable boats), Equipment manufacturers for boats (e.g. engines, electronics, rigging, interiors, sails, paints, etc.), Equipment manufacturers for water sports (e.g. diving, wind and kitesurfing, kayaking, canoeing, etc.),
Infrastructure builders and operators (marinas), and Service providers (trade & maintenance, chartering, schools, maritime expertise, financial and insurance services, etc.).
Today, European Boating Industry counts 11 members, all of them being well-established national associations in Europe. We have also opened to sustaining membership in 2015. Through its members, European Boating Industry has direct contact with over 7,000 companies from all sectors of the leisure marine industry in Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Poland and Spain.

For more information, please contact

Philip Easthill (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

European Boating Industry chooses its Council: Jean-Pierre Goudant elected as President

On Monday, 3 June 2019, European Boating Industry held its Assembly General and Council meetings in Split, Croatia. The Assembly General elected the new Council which will act as the governing body of the association for the next 2 years.

Carlos Sanlorenzo (ANEN – Spain), Robert Marx (BVWW – Germany), Jean-Pierre Goudant (FIN – France), Piotr Jasionowski (POLBOAT – Poland) and Piero Formenti (UCINA – Italy) were re-elected as Council members. All the Council received the full support of the members.

The Council unanimously appointed Jean-Pierre Goudant as the President, recognising his efforts in strengthening the association, while Carlos Sanlorenzo and Piotr Jasionowski were appointed Vice-Presidents. In addition, Carlos Sanlorenzo will be acting as Treasurer.

The new President thanked everyone for their support and stressed the importance of an active European presence in such an important phase for the Continent and advocated for an unified voice to bring the interest of the industry in Brussels: “European Boating Industry is the cornerstone around which we will continue to build our presence and have our key messages heard in the EU institutions and with the relevant stakeholders.”

EU-U.S.: Call for proposals for regulatory cooperation activities
April 29, 2019

European Boating Industry is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the regulatory cooperation activities between the EU and the USA, and warmly welcome the initiative.
We are cooperating closely with NMMA (USA Association of the nautical industries) and ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations) as we are convinced that the European boating industry needs a transatlantic approach. Our view is that mutually beneficial economic growth is achievable through tariff elimination, simplified certification procedures and internationally harmonized standards.
As Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström said: trade means jobs. In our case, trade is vital as we are an export-oriented industry.

 
The boating industry in the EU and in the USA
Recreational boating is a significant contributor to the US and European economy, contributing $41 billion in annual US sales through 691,000 jobs and 35,000 businesses. For the European Union, the boating industry is a significant contributor to the economy, accounting for over 32,000 businesses directly employing more than 280,000 people and generating an annual turnover of nearly 20 billion euros. Our industry was vocal during the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) discussion and we would like to reiterate our support of reducing technical barriers to trade that address standards harmonization, regulatory convergence and conformity assessment procedures.

The US and EU are natural trade partners and have a long tradition of exchanges in the boat industry. The US and the EU remain the two largest boating markets in the world and represent about 80% of the world’s production (boats, engines, equipment, components, accessories) and also 80% of the world’s boating market. The US and the EU share similar boating cultures in the way boats are used and recreational watersport activities are practiced. This is further reflected by the fact that the safety and environmental rules are similar in both regions. For instance, the EU revised its Directive on Recreational Craft to align the new limits for engine exhaust emissions with the US EPA Rules.

 
Regulatory convergence and coherence
Fragmented rules place significant burdens on product design and regulatory coherence will improve the business climate in all markets.
Manufacturer costs are reduced when there is a single global standard that would ensure that U.S. and EU boat building standards and certifications are compatible.

We advise you to focus on addressing the following:
1. Certification
   a. Simpler ISO standards
The breadth and complication of ISO standards make it difficult for many manufacturers to interpret and comply. Manufacturers without the ability to dedicate an entire engineering team to ISO standards, will be prevented from understanding complicated ISO requirements like stability, scantlings, windows, hatches and port lights, and drainage. Simple, easy to use, and effective standards models like those employed by ABYC make it easier for manufacturers and engineering teams to comply and therefore produce vessels for international markets. No discernable safety issues can be attributed to the different standards, just complications requiring a high level of expertise.

   b. Better acceptance of ISO standards
The EU Recreational Craft Directive (2013/53/EU), the US Code of Federal Regulations and the US agencies address the legal and mandatory requirements for the boating industry. In Europe, the Recreational Craft Directive is supported by over 60 standards, most of which are harmonized EN ISO standards covering the essential safety and environmental requirements of the Directive. In the US, the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) develops and maintains voluntary safety standards for the design, construction, equipage, repair and maintenance of boats. ABYC develops standards, through ANSI processes, based on extensive consultation with standards project technical committees, a development technical board, comprised of USCG, industry stakeholders and technical experts.
Although the use of standards is voluntary, increased efforts by the industry have been made in the recent years in order to bring more convergence between the US standards and the EN ISO standards used in Europe. Where technical standards are not harmonised between the EU and the USA, parties should agree to the principle of mutual recognition.
However, there is a lack of Reciprocity of ISO to ABYC or other national standards. Manufacturers who use a harmonised ISO standard are presumed to be in conformity with the RCD. The RCD allows for other standards to be used, but the onus is on the boat builder to show conformity with the RCD essential requirements. Notified Bodies are typically unwilling to accept non-ISO standards as conforming to the essential safety requirements. This creates a monopoly for ISO standards in European markets. We ask negotiators to consider the principle of mutual recognition between ABYC and ISO standards.

   c. Recognition of standards
When the requirements are different but compatible, in the sense that a requirement from one side of the Atlantic is stricter than on the other side, the product which comply with the strictest requirement will comply with the other.
In order to simplify trade between Europe and the US, European Boating Industry propose that the USA and the EU agree on which US and EU standards can be recognised as “substantially” equivalent. In this area, US or EU standards could be used alternatively in the future. Double certification and thus double costs in this area could be avoided.

2. Conformity Assessment: One-stop shop
In order to limit the double cost of conformity assessment for products that are almost identical for both markets in terms of safety and environmental requirements, we propose to allow notified bodies in Europe and their US equivalent bodies to become a "one-stop-shop" being able to offer conformity assessment procedures according to both the EU recreational craft directive and the US regulations, depending on the market destination of the product.
In any case, recreational craft sold on the EU market would have to undergo the assessment foreseen in the EU recreational craft directive, and reciprocally for the US market. The boating industry which is mainly composed of small and medium sized enterprises sees a significant gain at this simplification, which will reduce the costs of trade between Europe and the US without jeopardizing existing regulations in place in both markets.

3. Regulatory dialogue between the EU and US agencies
European Boating Industry also call for a formal mechanism to be implemented that will guarantee a regulatory dialogue between the European Commission and the relevant US agencies (US Coast Guard and Environment Protection Agency) in the field of maritime industries, with a particular attention to avoid additional technical requirements for RCD certified craft.
The calendar could also be aligned: in the USA, the new standards apply once a year, in July. In the EU, this takes place twice a year, with transition periods. This creates perturbations in the application of the new standards.

 
Tariffs
We support the matching and/or the elimination of tariff schedules for recreational craft, their components and other accessories.
The steel and aluminium dispute has dramatic consequences for our industry, as expressed in several letters which we sent to the European Commission. For instance, in Germany, as a result of the higher US tariffs on imports and in response the EU imposition of punitive tariffs, the US shipyards did not offer discounts to their dealers in order to cushion the rise in cost, and US boats were 25% more expensive for EU countries. We encourage negotiators to come to a resolution on steel and aluminium tariffs while ongoing cooperation is being discussed between the EU and the USA.

 
European Boating Industry remains at the disposal of the European Commission for any clarification and additional information on the submitted comments.

The European Boating Industry represents the interests of the European leisure marine industry and its members. Our work facilitates our members’ access to the EU Single Market (for boating industry – a harmonised market) of all Member States and over 500 million people.
The boating industry is a significant contributor to the European economy, accounting for over 32,000 businesses directly employing more than 280,000 people and generating an annual turnover of nearly 20 billion euros.

Contact:
Sandrine Devos, Secretary General, EBI │ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. │+32 473 63 73 34
www.europeanboatingindustry.eu
EBI – European Boating Industry
Square de Meeûs 35 - 1000 Brussels – Belgium
Transparency Register #74989093163-18

PRESS RELEASE – 11 February 2019

European Boating Industry is proud to announce the publication of its Manifesto

The boating industry is a key player for Europe’s industrial future and for its citizens. It provides highly specialized jobs, growth, trade, regional development, it fosters the contact with nature and the oceans, promotes active lifestyle and encourages the social development of the communities invested in it. As we navigate through a period of uncertainty on the global stage, it is vital to focus on our strengths and maximise the opportunities we encounter. The European Union is the primary source of legislation and regulation for the industry, therefore accurately developing a European strategy and monitoring the development in the EU institutions is paramount to the success of the sector. To represent the interests of the industry and to help develop tools to surpass these challenges, European Boating Industry supports the fostering of European know-how, innovation, standardization and sustainability in order to keep the European market an attractive sector for both new and regular users and to be the voice of these excellencies.

For more information, please contact:

European Boating Industry
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or T +32 472 445957