Shipping companies that transport goods or passengers transnationally are continuously faced with country-specific administrative barriers that result in additional costs and waiting times.

viadonau supports the working group “Administrative Processes” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in implementing the elaborated work plan on the improvement of border controls in the Danube region. Thereby, the Austrian shipping sector will be supported in carrying out international transports on the Danube.

The following objectives are being pursued:

  • Simplification of control procedures and reduction of control times
  • Harmonisation of control procedures and forms
  • Digitalisation: usage of River Information Services (RIS) for the electronic processing of control procedures and for the submission of control forms

Further information on: https://navigation.danube-region.eu/working-groups/wg-6-administrative-processes/

Partners

  • users of the Danube waterway/shipping companies and private owner operators
  • border control authorities (border police, customs authorities, shipping inspectorate)
  • other authorities relevant for Danube navigation
  • representatives of Priority Area 1a of the Danube Region Strategy: „Inland waterways"
  • representatives of Priority Area 11 of the Danube Region Strategy: „Security“

News and project status

Within the Working Goup 6 „Administrative Processes“ of the EU Danube Region Strategy the work plan for improved administrative procedures was elaborated under the leadership of viadonau. The implementation of this work plan is carried out in cooperation with the competent control authorities (Priority Area 11 „Security“) and the shipping industry.

Current priorities:

  • Digitalisation of DAVID forms
  • Planning of electronic reservation system for border controls

Simplification

In April 2023 the third edition of the Practical manual on border controls along the Danube and its navigable tributaries was published. It contains information about control procedures at the EU/Schengen borders in the Danube region, competent authorities, contact data and opening hours, etc. 

Harmonisation

In the framework of the joint Working Group of Priority Areas 1a and 11 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region the so-called DAVID standard forms were elaborated by waterway users, waterway administrations (united in PA1a) and border control authorities (united in PA11). These forms represent a harmonised version of three often used border control forms (Arrival and Departure Report, Crew List, Passenger List).

Thanks to the efforts of the working group, the harmonized DAVID forms are used at all checkpoints at and outside the Schengen external borders in following countries:

  • Hungary (applicable as of 01. February 2020)
  • Croatia (applicable as of 01. February 2020)
  • Serbia (applicable as of 01. March 2020)
  • Bulgaria (applicable as of 04. August 2020; implemented within Single Window (BULRIS) as of October 2020)
  • Romania (applicable as of 15. April 2022)
  • Republic of Moldova (applicable as of 13. May 2022)
  • Ukraine (applicable as of 27. November 2020)

Digitalisation of DAVID forms

In coordination with the Working Group on “Administrative Processes”, viadonau offers the DAVID Creator in the DoRIS portal (https://portal.doris-info.at/IRIS_WEB/) free-of-charge. The DAVID Creator offers:

  • The digital creation of the 3 DAVID forms (Arrival & Departure Report, Crew List and Passenger List), which can be exported as PDF in the required language. The submission of the forms to the competent authorities takes place outside of the application.

The DAVID Creator corresponds to the first of two digitalisation steps.The comprehensive digitalisation of (border) control forms takes place in the frame of the RIS COMEX project (co-financed in the Connecting Europe Facility). As an upgrade to the DAVID Creator, users will be able to send all required control forms to the relevant control authorities directly from the Common Electronic Reporting System (short: “CEERIS”). Following the „single data entry“ and „report only once“ principle, users will benefit from time-savings.

Electronic reservation system for border controls

In the frame of the working group, the need for a transnational electronic reservation system for border controls has been identified. The so-called “Trans-national Electronic Registration & time Management” tool (short: TERM) is seen as additional service to currently existing registration procedures (no obligation of usage for shipping industry). Benefits are seen in the improved control and resource planning for border control authorities, as well as the enhanced transparency and plannability of border control times for the shipping industry.

Based on gathered feedback from the shipping industry and border control authorities, it was jointly agreed in the frame of the PA1a & PA11 Working Group on Administrative Processes, to continue with the elaboration of technical framework for implementation in a first step.