Based on a proposal from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) approved the new Regulation on electronic freight transport information (eFTI), which has been published in the Official Journal of the EU.
The movement of goods, including waste, is accompanied by a large amount of information which is still exchanged in paper format among businesses, and between businesses and competent authorities. The use of paper documents represents a significant administrative burden for logistics operators and an additional cost for logistics operators and related industries (such as trade and manufacturing), in particular for SMEs, and has a negative impact on the environment.
The aim of the new Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 is to encourage the digitalisation of freight transport and logistics to reduce administrative costs, improve enforcement capabilities of competent authorities, and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of transport.
Accordingly, the new Regulation establishes a legal framework for the electronic communication of regulatory information between the economic operators concerned and competent authorities in relation to the transport of goods within the European Union.
Essential elements of this legal framework are the functional requirements applicable to eFTI platforms, which should be used by economic operators to make regulatory freight transport information available to competent authorities in electronic form in order to meet the conditions for the mandatory acceptance of this information by competent authorities.
The legal framework also includes requirements for third-party platform service providers (eFTI service providers).
All those requirements shall ensure that all eFTI data can be processed solely in accordance with a comprehensive rights-based access-control system that provides assigned functionalities, that all competent authorities can have immediate access to that data in accordance to their respective regulatory enforcement competences.
To build the confidence of both competent authorities and economic operators as regards compliance by eFTI platforms and eFTI service providers with those functional requirements, a certification system shall be put in place and underpinned by accreditation in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008. To benefit from the advantages of certification, providers of ICT systems that are already in use are encouraged to ensure that those systems comply with the requirements for eFTI platforms laid down in this new Regulation (EU) 2020/1056, and to apply for certification.
According Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2020/1056, a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) shall be accredited by its National Accreditation Body in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 for the purposes of performing the certification of eFTI platforms and eFTI service providers.
For the purposes of accreditation, a CAB shall meet the requirements as laid down in Annex II of the Regulation, which is mainly based on Article R17 of Decision (EC) No 768/2008 on a common framework for the marketing of products.
The European Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts to supplement Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 by laying down rules
- on the certification of eFTI platforms and on the use of the certification mark, including rules on the renewal, suspension and withdrawal of certification as well as
- on certification of eFTI service providers, including rules on the renewal, suspension and withdrawal of certification.
The Regulation shall be applied from 21 August 2024.
The full text of Regulation 2020/1056 can be downloaded here.