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Coordinated by viadonau, COMEX² succeeds the international RIS COMEX project and, with 20 partners from 13 countries and three cooperation partners from Switzerland, Serbia and Ukraine, will take up the baton for the harmonised implementation and optimisation of River Information Services (RIS) in Europe over the coming years. With a focus on the future-oriented further development of national systems and services, the programme also includes improving the resilience of the systems and services at the Danube locks and the relaunch of the national ship registration database.

General information

COMEX² is a CEF funded multi-beneficiary project aiming at further harmonisation and optimisation of River Information Services in Europe and acting as successor of the project RIS COMEX (2016-2022). COMEX² started in the course of 2023 and will last until beginning of 2028. The project – coordinated by viadonau – covers 20 partners from 13 European countries as well as three cooperation partners from Switzerland, Serbia and Ukraine and is fostering the international collaboration on all major European waterways.

COMEX² builds on the tremendous success of the project RIS COMEX having realised the joint European RIS Platform EuRIS which provides fairway-, infrastructure-, traffic- and transport related data from 13 European countries as single point of access for all kinds of inland waterway users. COMEX² shall continue, expand and optimise the provided services and data on functional, technical and geographical scope for the benefit of the stakeholders. Focus is also put on making the organisational, legal and financial framework for sustainable operation of EuRIS more flexible and future fit to enable onboarding of additional partners and to ease administrative aspects.

Next to EuRIS, the common electronic reporting system CEERIS was realised among eight European countries in the former project in order to facilitate the reduction of administrative burden. COMEX² will tackle the optimisation of CEERIS and, where applicable, of other electronic reporting systems and applications and put a focus on their interconnection in order to foster the reporting only once principle within European inland waterway transport. This certainly also includes the necessary legal framework for international exchange of related data.

Other pillars of COMEX² are continuous stakeholder management, measures to foster digitalisation within IWT as well as other national and international priorities in order to ensure future resilience and optimise the spectrum of RIS and the gained benefits.

timetable of the projects RIS COMEX, DIWA and COMEX2
Source: viadonau

Objectives

The main objectives of COMEX²

  • Assessment of EuRIS, electronic reporting in Europe and other relevant European initiatives (e.g. DIWA, eFTI) to identify needs and requirements to be considered in COMEX²
  • Evolution of the EuRIS Platform in terms of functional and technical optimisation of services, data and interfaces, geographical extension to more waterways and countries as well as ensuring continuous sustainable operation
  • Optimisation, interconnection and integration of existing reporting systems to reduce the administrative reporting burden within IWT enabling the reporting only once principle in Europe
  • Investigation and realisation of common services (e.g. geographical reference data, mobile solution, NtS creator)
  • Enhancements of national RIS systems and services to act as sustainable and resilient data source
  • Support of and contribution to the evolution of the standardisation of RIS technical services under the framework of CESNI/TI
Overview of COMEX2 objectives
Source: viadonau

Key facts

  • Project duration: February 2023 - March 2028
  • Total project budget: EUR 36,456,050
  • AT Budget: EUR 4,300,000
  • Funding rate: max. 50 % CEF2 (Connecting Europe Facility)
  • Project partners: 20 partners (13 European countries)
  • Cooperation partners: 3 partners (Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine)

Partners

Results

  • Operational launch of the national ship registration database in November 2025
  • Go-live of the EuRIS redesign in December 2025
  • New partners acquired for EuRIS: Switzerland
  • New partners acquired for CEERIS: Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Poland
  • Start of the following project implementations
    • Joint NtS Editor
    • National lock management system
    • Feasibility study on lock digitisation and remote control

News and project status

In the first two years of the project, the services and data provided via the joint European RIS platform EuRIS (www.eurisportal.eu) were evaluated and optimised. A crucial work package for the complete redesign and functional expansions of the portal was specified and implemented by the end of 2025. A major milestone in the geographical expansion of EuRIS was reached in mid-May 2026 with Switzerland’s official joining. The portal now covers 14 partner countries, and plans are underway to extend it to Poland. The new RIS Directive defines EuRIS as a key element, thereby activities focusing on sustainable operation of EuRIS are defined and elaborated further.

The Central and Eastern European reporting system CEERIS (www.ceeris.eu) was evaluated and optimised likewise. This is partly motivated by the introduction of the reporting obligation in Romania from the start of 2023 and the associated intensive use of the system. As of September 2025, the reporting requirement via CEERIS was extended to Bulgaria, and further countries are in preparation. CEERIS has also been expanded geographically and now covers 13 partner countries. Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Poland have been added and will be integrated into the system during 2026. The evaluation of the principle of single electronic reporting in European inland navigation was started.

Other aspects of the project that have started include the definition of a new reference data model for inland navigation, which will enter the implementation phase in EuRIS in 2026, while partners are already preparing the data model. A further joint system implementation for the Notices to Skippers (NtS) Editor involving six countries was launched in April 2026.

In Austria, too, extensive system upgrades are being carried out to ensure availability and resilience. As a result, the completely renewed ship registration database was already put into operational use by the end of 2025. The new lock management system is in the final stages of development and will commence parallel operation in summer 2026. In addition, a feasibility study on the digitalisation and remote control of locks is currently being prepared.
 

The project makes a substantial contribution to the implementation of the work package 06. Developing corridor-wide river information services and other information technologies and strengthen links to other modes of transport of the Action Programme Danube 2030.