*****

COMMISSION OPINION

of 19 October 1989

addressed to the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium concerning a draft law on boatmasters' certificates for inland waterways

(Only the French and Dutch texts are authentic)

(89/570/EEC)

By letter of 5 July 1989 the Belgian Government communicated to the Commission a draft law on boatmasters' certificates for inland waterways, pursuant to Article 1 of the Council Decision of 21 March 1962 instituting a procedure for prior examination and consultation in respect of certain laws, regulations and administrative provisions concerning transport proposed in Member States (1), as amended by Decision 73/402/EEC (2).

The letter from the Belgian Government reached the Commission on 6 July 1989. Pursuant to Article 2 (4) of the Council Decision and in agreement with the Belgian Government, the two-month period within which the Commission must deliver its opinion has been extended until 29 September 1989.

1. The Commission notes that the draft law concerns the boatmasters' certificates for inland waterways without further specification of the categories of vessels concerned.

2. The draft law is in the form of a framework law in that some of the areas it covers are to be regulated by implementing measures at a later date. The Commission reserves the right to deliver an opinion of all the provisions which will govern the areas covered by the draft law when it has copies of the essentieal measures to be adopted.

3. The draft law is in line with the Commissions' intentions to establish a system of reciprocal recognition of boatmasters' certificates and is welcomed as a positive contribution to common transport policy that will increase the safety in inland navigation and the appreciation of the profession of boatmaster.

4. Inclusion of the future Belgian boatmasters' certificate in the framework of the proposed Directive of the Commission will take place after examination of the terms that are still to be defined by the implementing measures of the Belgian draft law.

Done at Brussels, 19 October 1989.

For the Commission

Karel VAN MIERT

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ No 23, 3. 4. 1962, p. 720/62.

(2) OJ No L 347, 17. 12. 1973, p. 48.