Carriage of goods and persons by inland waterway: conditions for obtaining national boatmasters' certificates

OBJECTIVE: Harmonization of the conditions for obtaining national boatmasters' certificates for the carriage of goods and passengers by inland waterway in the Community. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Directive 96/50/EC on the harmonization of the conditions for obtaining national boatmasters' certificates for the carriage of goods and passengers by inland waterway in the Community. SUBSTANCE: The Directive is a follow-up to Directive 91/672/EEC on the reciprocal recognition of national boat masters' certificates for the carriage of goods and passengers by inland waterway. It provides for a single national boatmasters' certificate issued on the basis of harmonized conditions, a model for which is defined at Community level and which is mutually recognized by the Member States. Harmonization is essentially in four areas: - minimum age: an applicant must be at least 21 years old to obtain a certificate. However, Member States may still issue certificates to persons 18 years old or older; - physical fitness: compulsory medical examination to obtain a certificate; requirement of an annual examination for the holder of a certificate on reaching the age of 65 years; - professional experience: at least four years' professional experience validated by the competent authority by being entered in a personal service record, with schemes for possible reductions; - professional knowledge: an applicant must have passed, to the satisfaction of the competent authority, an appropriate examination of obligatory knowledge. DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE: 7 October 1996 DEADLINE FOR TRANSPOSITION INTO NATIONAL LEGISLATION: 7 April 1998. �