Skipper Licensing
The European Boating Association considers that qualification requirements for recreational boating are a matter for Member State Governments and the International Maritime Organisation.
The EBA therefore urges the EU Commission not to seek to introduce its own EU recreational boat skipper’s licensing regime but instead to encourage member states to adopt the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Resolution 40 – International Certificate for Operator of Pleasure Craft. This approach would be entirely consistent with the EU’s approach to international merchant shipping legislation, by which the EU requires member states to adopt the rules agreed at the International Maritime Organisation.
It is the considered opinion of the EBA that the standards set out in UNECE Resolution 40 provide a reasonable and appropriate level of competence for daytime operation of recreational boats with due regard to the safety of navigation and crew and the protection of the environment. The EBA urges governments to adopt UNECE Resolution 40 rather than to seek to compare the many national schemes with each other and the ICC itself.
The countries that have not yet adopted UNECE Resolution 40 but will readily accept and sometimes demand an ICC from visiting recreational boaters as evidence of competence should be encouraged to adopt UNECE Resolution 40.
While the EBA is supportive of EU harmonised legislation on recreational boat design and construction in order to harmonise the rules governing the sale of recreational boats within the EU, it strongly believes that recreational boat operating regulations should be devolved to the national or regional level to accommodate local conditions, features and cultures. The EBA’s position in this regard is entirely consistent with the subsidiarity principle.
While the EBA is supportive of EU harmonised legislation on recreational boat design and construction in order to harmonise the rules governing the sale of recreational boats within the EU, it strongly believes that recreational boat operating regulations should be devolved to the national or regional level to accommodate local conditions, features and cultures. The EBA’s position in this regard is entirely consistent with the subsidiarity principle.
The EBA has a clear position that manning regulations should be dealt with at a national / sub-national level and opposes any move to establish a supra-national compulsory certificate of competence for skippers. The development of an EU recreational boat skipper’s licence would require substantial bureaucratic and financial effort. This would certainly increase the costs of participation and so could discourage people from boating. This may have far reaching effects economically in the leisure marine industry and for yachting tourism.
Consequently, the EBA strongly recommends that all governments follow the lead taken by those that have adopted UNECE Resolution 40 so far, recognise it as an acceptable standard in its own right and notify the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe accordingly.
The EBA will
- Encourage its members to recommend full adoption of UNECE Resolution 40 to their respective governments where they have not already done so.
- Work towards recognition of the ICC as a reasonable and appropriate certificate of competence for an operator regardless of Flag State.
- Work with industry groups and similar yachting federations to promote the adoption of the ICC as widely as possible.