With the new directive, crew members will be able to work in a cross-border environment more easily as Union certificates of qualification will be valid on all EU inland waterways.

On 12 December 2017, Directive EU/2017/2397 on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. It repeals Council Directives 91/672/EEC and 96/50/EC.

The directive sets new rules for establishing a modern competence-based system that will provide new career prospects and contribute to safety.

The European network Education in Inland Navigation (EDINNA) paved the way for the Union certificates. European projects, which were funded by the EU under the framework of the Leonardo da Vinci (Train the Trainer Course and Course Manuals) and Erasmus+ (SBKR2016) programmes, supported the development of this directive and show that European sectoral cooperation can help achieving great results.