The European Union has commissioned a study to analyse the advantages of recognising boater licenses EU-wide in a effort to understand the benefits and challenges of such a recognition system and its potential implementation. There is a General Public Survey which aims to gather views on the current regime and experiences regarding skipper’s licence/qualification for recreational boaters.

Published 8 months ago

The research agency in charge of the study has developed two five-minute surveys which will be used to explore the pros and cons of potentially recognising skipper licences/qualifications for recreational boating across Europe. Survey responses will help policy-makers to understand the benefits and challenges of such a recognition system.

General Public Questionnaire

The General Public survey aims to gather a participant’s view on the current regime and experiences regarding skipper’s licence/qualification for recreational boats (“skipper’s certificate”).

Currently, a Member State may (or may not) require a national skipper’s certificate to operate recreational boats according to their specific national rules. These skipper’s certificates are not universally recognised across Europe. This means that if you plan to navigate from one country to another, or if you want to charter a recreational boat in a different country, you may require an International Certificate of Competency for Operators of Pleasure Craft (ICC certificate), an additional skipper’s qualification or you may be prevented from operating/chartering a boat as your national skipper’s certificate may not be recognised in that country.

An International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft (which is issued in accordance with UNECE resolution No. 40 – see link below) provides the holder with evidence of competence for the operation of pleasure craft, in an internationally recognizable format, which can be presented to officials in foreign countries upon request. The use of the ICC  has developed over the years to include sea waters and inland waterways, in addition to the rivers it was originally developed for.

The standards set out in resolution No. 40 are widely recognized as providing a reasonable and appropriate level of competence for day sailing in recreational craft, with due regard for navigational and crew safety and protection of the environment.

General Public Survey:

The questionnaire comprises 4 sections:

1. General questions about you
2. Your opinion about the current situation
3. Your opinion about interventions that could improve the current situation, and
4. Policy alternatives: understanding of the current rules, problems, your views about new policy options, as well as their pros and cons.

All responses will be kept confidential and anonymous and no personal information will be made publicly available.

Industry Questionnaire

The second survey is for industry participants, but focuses on the licences of private boaters who use their boats for private non-commercial use. The survey does not refer to the skippers of boats for commercial use such as charters.

This questionnaire aims to gather industry views and experiences regarding recreational boat** Skipper’s certificates (including personal watercrafts – jet skis) and also to collect quantitative data to better understand the current situation of boating Skipper’s certificates for recreational boat operators.

Industry Survey:

**  recreational boat is a boat with a length of 2.5m to 24m that is used for leisure or sports.

Both surveys have been developed by Panteia, a research company based in The Netherlands.

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Related News:

• Cruising Regulations:  Obtaining an International Certificate of Competence (Noonsite March 2024)

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Related Links

• Information on the ICC Resolution No. 40
• Panteia Research Company

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.

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