1.   Background

The European Maritime Single Window environment Regulation (EMSWe Regulation) (1) is built on the existing network of maritime national single windows (MNSWs) and lays down a common, interoperable environment for ships to report information to shore during a port call. The Regulation empowers the Commission to draw up a standardised dataset covering all reporting obligations and to develop and maintain common interfaces and services for the MNSWs. It will apply from 15 August 2025. This multi-annual implementation plan is updated every year in accordance with Article 19 of the EMSWe Regulation, following appropriate consultations with national experts. The first version of this document was adopted by the Commission in 2021 (2) and then updated in 2023 (3).

2.   IT architecture of the EMSWe

The EMSWe is a decentralised environment based on a network of MNSWs. Each of these MNSWs provides: (i) a harmonised reporting interface module (RIM) for system-to-system communication; and (ii) a graphical user interface (GUI) for user-to-system communication of reporting obligations by declarants. The environment is complemented by common services such as: (i) an EMSWe user registry and access management system (URAM); (ii) common databases; and (iii) a common addressing service (CAS).

High-level EMSWe architecture around one MNSW

The figure above shows the high-level architecture of the EMSWe from the perspective of a Member State, including the MNSW’s interactions with declarants, data-service providers and the systems of Member State authorities.

The components are listed below:

Element	Description	Articles
1	MNSW	Article 2(3)
2	GUI	Articles 2(9), 6(4)
3	RIM	Articles 2(4), 6(1)
4	URAM	Article 12(1), (2), (3)
5	CAS	Article 2(10)
6	EMSWe ship database (ESD)	Article 14
7	Common Location Database	Article 15
8	Common Hazmat Database	Article 16
9	Common Ship Sanitation Database	Article 17
10	SafeSeaNet (national SafeSeaNet and central SafeSeaNet system)	Article 8(4)

3.   Adoption of secondary legislation

So far, the Commission has adopted the following secondary acts:

—	Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/205 (4) laying down the EMSWe dataset;

—	Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/204 (5) containing the first set of specifications and rules for the harmonised aspects of the MNSWs and for three common databases under the EMSWe (6);

—	Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2790 (7) laying down the specifications of the RIM and of the URAM system.

These three secondary acts were supposed to be adopted by 15 August 2021. However, due to several factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and increased technical complexity requiring extensive consultation with Member State experts, this deadline proved to be too ambitious. Therefore, the last act was adopted on 14 December 2023. Nevertheless, to speed up the implementation of the EMSWe Regulation, the Commission, with the assistance of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and in close collaboration with the Member States and industry, started to prepare the main common components (RIM and URAM) and the Message Implementation Guide (MIG) before the adoption of the secondary legislation mentioned above (see Chapter 5 for details).

Planning for other secondary acts is as follows:

—	updating the EMSWe dataset (8) (planned for 2024);

—	laying down the specifications of the CAS (planned for 2025);

—	laying down the specifications of the Common Ship Sanitation Database (planned for 2025);

—	drawing up a list of relevant information to be reused and made available for a subsequent port call (to be decided) (9).

4.   Stakeholder engagement strategy

To ensure that Member State experts and the business community are consulted in a transparent manner and well in advance, in 2023 the Commission set up an expert group, the European Maritime Single Window Coordination Group (ECG). The members of the ECG are the national coordinators for the EMSWe as laid down in Article 18 of the EMSWe Regulation. The main industry associations are also invited as observers to the group. This expert group meets regularly and allows the Commission to monitor the developments and discuss the progress. It also provides to the Member State a forum to exchange the best practices.

Because the EMSWe Regulation covers several customs entry-exit formalities, the Commission also often consults customs expert groups, such as the Electronic Customs Coordination Group and/or the Customs Business Group (as managed by DG TAXUD). The Commission consults these customs expert groups by way of joint meetings.

To ensure continued interconnection and interoperability between the EMSWe and the Union maritime information and exchange system (SafeSeaNet), the Commission also informs the High-Level Steering Group for the Governance of the Maritime Digital System and Services (HLSG), which is competent for any change in SafeSeaNet system.

5.   Timetable for developing and testing common components and services

Reporting interface module (RIM)

After the release of version 1.0 in August 2022, an updated version 3.0 of the RIM was released in December 2023. This updated version 3.0 included additional functionalities and ensures compliance with the RIM specifications contained in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2790. All documentation required for integration into their MNSW has been made available to the Member States. Member States, with the support of the Commission, should first conduct conformance tests to check that the RIM has been correctly integrated into the MNSW. They should then conduct tests and ensure the necessary integration with other authorities concerned. Then, with their industry stakeholders, they should test the connections and processes of their entire MNSW.

To complement the functioning of the RIM, EMSA – in close collaboration with the Commission, the shipping industry and the Member States – developed and made available to the Member States in December 2023 a MIG. The MIG describes the messages (formalities and responses) to be exchanged between senders and the MNSWs through the RIM, as required by Article 2 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2790. Since then, EMSA has further refined the MIG and has been developing the technical representation of the MIG formalities and responses (XML schema definition files - XSD). It is expected that the Commission, in collaboration with EMSA, will also publish the MIG with technical message specifications for industry use at the end of Q3 2024, and maintain it on a regular basis.

EMSWe user registry and access management system (URAM)

Along with the RIM, in December 2023 the Commission set up and made available a common user registry and access management system (URAM), to facilitate the authentication of senders (declarants and data-service providers) who connect to the RIM of a Member State. The central services of the URAM have been made available in a conformance-testing environment for Member States to perform integration tests for the connections and interactions between their RIM and the URAM services. Member States will manage the authentication in their GUI according to the rules set out in Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (the eIDAS Regulation) (10).

Common addressing service (CAS)

The specifications for the CAS required by Article 13(2) of the EMSWe Regulation are scheduled to be adopted indicatively by the end of 2024. Development of this service is expected to start after the RIM has been fully implemented.

Databases

The EMSWe Ship Database, the Common Location Database and the Common Hazmat Database are currently under development by EMSA as planned. The System Interface Guide (SIG) – a guide to all three of these databases – was finalised by EMSA and made publicly available in May 2024 (11). Development of the databases is expected to be completed at the end of Q3 2024 when EMSA will be ready to conduct commissioning tests with the Member States.

As regards the Ship Sanitation Database, its implementation is still at a planning stage, and work on drawing up its specifications will start indicatively in 2025. Once made available, this database will be used by the competent health authorities of the Member States to exchange data between them in the back office of the MNSW.

Detailed timetable

Common components and services

Status

Baseline

2024

2025

2026

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

RIM

RIM v2.0 with sender validation

completed

RIM v3.0 with syntax validation (12)

completed

RIM v3.1 with enhanced semantic validation

X

MIG v1.0 and message schemas

X

(*1)MS integration and testing

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

URAM

Central authentication service

completed

Central registry

completed

(*1)Integration with Member State’s RIM (13)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

CAS

Setting up of central nodes

X

X

(*1)MS integration and testing

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

EMSWe Ship Database (ESD)

Reference dataset and SIG

completed

Central database development

X

(*1)Integration with MS systems

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Commissioning tests

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Common Location Database

Reference dataset and SIG

completed

Central database development

X

(*1)Integration with MS systems

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Commissioning tests

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Common Hazmat Database

Reference dataset and SIG

completed

Central database development

X

(*1)Integration with MS systems

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Commissioning tests

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

6.   Application of the Regulation

The Commission’s work has progressed in line with the 2023 update to the multi-annual implementation plan (14), in particular in three areas: (i) adopting the specifications of the RIM and URAM; (ii) the release of the RIM version 3.0; and (iii) the availability of URAM services, enabling the start of national implementation.

On the Commission’s side, testing of common components and central services (excluding for now the common Ship Sanitation Database and the CAS) with Member States’ systems is available from the second half of 2024, and will be carried out according to the availability and readiness of the Member States.

On the Member States’ side, while some Member States have gradually started the implementation activities under their responsibility, others are advancing more slowly than originally planned, considering also the delays described above. It is expected that implementation will not be synchronised between Member States and will take place indicatively over a period of up to 18 months as from the application date in the EMSWe Regulation set on 15 August 2025. The Commission will continue monitoring the implementation of the Regulation using surveys and close collaboration with the National Coordinators. The Commission will also support Member States at a technical and business level to ensure that the common components and central services in all MNSWs are integrated and tested correctly and promptly.

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(1)   OJ L 198, 25.7.2019, p. 64.

(2)   OJ C 299, 27.7.2021, p. 3.

(3)   OJ C, C/2023/100, 6.10.2023.

(4)   OJ L 33, 3.2.2023, p. 24.

(5)   OJ L 33, 3.2.2023, p. 1.

(6)  The spreadsheet templates referred to in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/204 are being developed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and will be made available indicatively by Q3 2024.

(7)   OJ L, 2023/2790, 18.12.2023.

(8)  The Commission shall regularly update the EMSWe dataset according to Article 3(3) with the technical assistance of EMSA.

(9)  EMSA will conduct a feasibility study to identify data elements for possible re-use, considering any limitations and conditions imposed by underlying legislation and rules on the protection of personal and commercially sensitive data. Once this data has been defined, SafeSeaNet, its data-exchange mechanisms and interfaces, (including the necessary security measures and documentation) may all need to be upgraded to allow the wider re-use and sharing of data between MNSWs.

(10)   OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 73.

(11)   http://emswe-db-sig.emsa.europa.eu/.

(*1)  Integration and conformance-testing activities of common components and central services depend on each Member State’s availability and national planning.

(12)  RIM developed in compliance with the RIM specifications.

(13)  URAM central services will be available in acceptance testing during the integration with Member States’ RIM. After testing, URAM services will be available in the production environment.

(14)   OJ C, C/2023/100, 6.10.2023.