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The AIT represents the interests of member associations involved in pleasure boating and navigational activities at meetings such as those organised by the European Boating Association (EBA) and the UN/ECE Working Party on Inland Water Transport.
The EBA is an organisation that represents National Boating Authorities in the EU. It has 3 committees: regulatory, environmental and technical. More up-to-date information about EBA can be found on the EBA website at www.eba.sida.nu.
The UN/ECE Working Party on Inland Water Transport (WP/Sc3)(www.unece.org) deals with regulations on inland waterways in Europe as well as the European network of waterways. The CEVNI (Code Européen de Voies Navigables Intérieures) rules are of great importance for the harmonisation of nautical regulations in greater Europe (including Eastern Europe). Most national regulations are based on CEVNI. The AIT has the possibility to influence these regulations.
Another issue dealt with by WP/Sc3 that is important for nautical tourism is international documents. Based on resolutions 13, 14 and 40, the working party agreed on formats for the International Certificate of Pleasure Craft (ICP) and the International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft (ICC). The first document is a registration document, the second shows the competence of the holder to operate the craft. According to the resolutions, AIT clubs can issue both documents. In the Netherlands, the national authority has authorised the ANWB to issue both documents. In Germany, the ADAC issues the ICP (Bootschein).
Until recently WP/Sc3 was concerned only with the main European Inland Waterways because of their transport function. The network was designated and described and an inventory of bottlenecks and missing links was drawn up. The AIT and the EBA have proposed a similar approach for smaller waterways that are very important for tourism, recreation, cultural heritage and the economic development.
The working party has asked the EBA and the AIT to work out a plan for such a European network. The first step was the production of a 4-language (French, German, Dutch, English) European Waterways Map and Directory. This map was presented to the Working Party in October 2002. At the 2003 meeting of the Working Party, the AIT and the EBA presented a draft resolution with two annexes (the map and a European standard for recreational waterways). In 2004 the WP is to take a decision on this draft resolution.
The network of waterways is an issue not only for the UN/ECE but also for the EU. Therefore the AIT and the EBA, in co-operation with two other international organisations, ICOMIA (the International Council of Marine Industry Associations) and the IWI (www.inlandwaterwaysinternational.org ) are planning to organise an exhibition and a workshop in the European Parliament in the first week of October 2004.
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