EU private boater licenses recognition

[Lorrendraaier]

The EU wants to tackle the issue of private boater licenses recognition. A thorough investigation is underway, and data from boaters and industry is being requested.

The EBI invites you to respond to the survey, which can be filled-in, in the languages English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.



General Public survey: Targeted survey - general public

Industry survey: Targeted survey - Industry

 

[Gibeltarik]

But because UK is not in the EU you will need to choose a 'preferred' EU nationality - but there doesn't appear to be any check on your choice.......

 

[AngusMcDoon]

The preamble conflates Europe and the EU. Not a good start.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

The EU wants to tackle the issue of private boater licenses …

There is no issue. It doesn’t need to be tackled.

 

[Irish Rover]

I got as far as Question 2 before I had to give up - I'm Irish, resident in Türkiye but it only recognises EU residents. Truthfully this is a nonsense if it doesn't recognise that there are many EU citizen yacht owners residing outside the EU and many non EU citizen yacht owners living in the EU.

 

[DownWest]

Looking at the links...
Bit of self interest here?

 

[dunedin]

The EU wants to tackle the issue of private boater licenses recognition. A thorough investigation is underway, and data from boaters and industry is being requested.

The EBI invites you to respond to the survey, which can be filled-in, in the languages English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.



General Public survey: Targeted survey - general public

Industry survey: Targeted survey - Industry

The About information says only the platform is official EU supported.

As I struggled to find any such information on the questionnaires, can you clarify who is the survey owner and who is collecting the data captured.

Thanks

 

[Koeketiene]

Can't complete the survey.
EU national, resident in another EU country, holder of a UK issued ICC and YM...

 

[Lorrendraaier]

The About information says only the platform is official EU supported.

As I struggled to find any such information on the questionnaires, can you clarify who is the survey owner and who is collecting the data captured.

Thanks

The survey is set-up by the European Boat Industry (Home) and they represents the recreational boating and nautical tourism industry in Europe.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Reasons why you won't get much of a response from here...

- This is a UK hosted forum and most of the contributors are British or UK residents. UK does not exist in the nationality or residency lists.
- We have no requirement for a license in the UK and most boaters want it to stay that way.
- The survey is hosted by some organisation to do with the EU and there is a large EU scepticism* in the UK population.
- Your post opens with 'The EU wants...'. This immediately indicates that it is irrelevant to the UK.
- The UK is not a member country of the EBI.
- It appears to be a survey to obtain information on how to solve a non-problem. There is already an international proficiency certificate - the ICC.
- Conflating EU and Europe. You state EU, countries listed are EU, but the EBI has non-EU states as members.

This EU/Europe muddling might not matter in the Netherlands, but it is important in non-EU European countries.

* I am not expressing any EU-phobic or EU-philic opinion here so no need to report me to the Scottish police for a thought crime.

 

[st599]

- It appears to be a survey to obtain information on how to solve a non-problem. There is already an international proficiency certificate - the ICC.

Not Internationally recognised though. It's legally recognised by signatories of UNECE Article 40

Some operators in other countries choose to recognise it - but aren't legally obliged to and could decide on a case by case basis.

Anything that gets the ICC more widely recognised would be good.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Not Internationally recognised though. It's legally recognised by signatories of UNECE Article 40

Some operators in other countries choose to recognise it - but aren't legally obliged to and could decide on a case by case basis.

Anything that gets the ICC more widely recognised would be good.

Then the EBI's efforts would be better spent trying to get that situation improved if they are truly a European organisation rather than just EU.

 

[ean_p]

Call me a cynic but it looks like a boating industry survey thats using a free to anyone EU survey tool without making it clear that it has nothing to do with the EU.
If the industry are concerned about licensing then they'll want to regulate it and regulation means qualifications and pay pay pay.......

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Call me a cynic but it looks like a boating industry survey thats using a free to anyone EU survey tool without making it clear that it has nothing to do with the EU.
If the industry are concerned about licensing then they'll want to regulate it and regulation means qualifications and pay pay pay.......

The RYA have commented in the past that compulsory licensing risks lowering standards compared to voluntary licensing, as people may choose to do the minimum for the licence and then stop. Conversely, if there is an imperative to train, the inherent danger associated with sailing, people will train. I am not so sure how robust this argument is.

However, this survey appears to be about recognition of licences. If the MCA endorsed RYA schemes were part of a wider recognition scheme, then that could be a good thing, allowing countries to do what they want, and if that meets a certain requirement for international recognition then that is efficiency. The ICC, as mentioned in posts 10, 11 and 12, would appear to be a vehicle for that.

 

[dunedin]

The survey is set-up by the European Boat Industry (Home) and they represents the recreational boating and nautical tourism industry in Europe.

Thanks. Then it is very unprofessional of the EBI not to make that clear on the survey. It starts with “we” but doesn’t seem to make clear who the we are. That would be a reason to get the survey pulled / removed on most platforms.

 

[Graham376]

We also can't complete the survey even though my wife is EU citizen resident there, with UK issued qualification.

Leaving out chartering, as a matter of interest has anyone been required to produce their qualification when visiting EU, sailing their own boat?

 

[Bouba]

We also can't complete the survey even though my wife is EU citizen resident there, with UK issued qualification.

Leaving out chartering, as a matter of interest has anyone been required to produce their qualification when visiting EU, sailing their own boat?

I live in France and my boat is French flagged and registered....I have been stopped many times and ask to produce all paperwork

 

[lusitano]

Reasons why you won't get much of a response from here...

- This is a UK hosted forum and most of the contributors are British or UK residents. UK does not exist in the nationality or residency lists.
- We have no requirement for a license in the UK and most boaters want it to stay that way.
- The survey is hosted by some organisation to do with the EU and there is a large EU scepticism* in the UK population.
- Your post opens with 'The EU wants...'. This immediately indicates that it is irrelevant to the UK.
- The UK is not a member country of the EBI.
- It appears to be a survey to obtain information on how to solve a non-problem. There is already an international proficiency certificate - the ICC.
- Conflating EU and Europe. You state EU, countries listed are EU, but the EBI has non-EU states as members.

This EU/Europe muddling might not matter in the Netherlands, but it is important in non-EU European countries.

* I am not expressing any EU-phobic or EU-philic opinion here so no need to report me to the Scottish police for a thought crime.

Black helicopters are circling as we speak !

 

[Graham376]

I live in France and my boat is French flagged and registered....I have been stopped many times and ask to produce all paperwork

The same can happen with locally registered boats in Portugal but my question was about folks visiting EU, not based there. So far, we've never been asked for qualification in France, Spain, Portugal or Morocco. Just the usual passport, insurance and registration.

 

[st599]

However, this survey appears to be about recognition of licences. If the MCA endorsed RYA schemes were part of a wider recognition scheme, then that could be a good thing, allowing countries to do what they want, and if that meets a certain requirement for international recognition then that is efficiency. The ICC, as mentioned in posts 10, 11 and 12, would appear to be a vehicle for that.

The ICC would be, but it needs to be legally accepted on a wider basis. I always found it a bit odd that UNECE (UN Economic Commission for Europe) was creating an International award.

With the removal of EU recognition for UK qualifications (and vice versa), some paperwork that is valid in both regions is a good idea.