L 105/88 Official Journal of the European Union 23.4.2007 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 416/2007 of 22 March 2007 concerning the technical specifications for Notices to Skippers as referred to in Article 5 of Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, Having regard to Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community (!), and in particular Article 5 thereof, Whereas: (1) In accordance with Article 1 of Directive 2005/44/EC, River Information Services (RIS) shall be developed and implemented in a harmonised, interoperable and open way. (2) In accordance with Article 5 of Directive 2005/44/EC, technical specifications for Notices to Skippers shall be defined. (3)  The technical specifications for Notices to Skippers shall be based on the technical principles set out in Annex II to the Directive. (4) In accordance with Article 1(2) of Directive 2005/44/EC, the technical specifications shall take due account of the work carried out by relevant international organisations. (5)  They shall also take due account of the work carried out by the expert group on Notices to Skippers which is composed of representatives of the competent authorities for the implementation of Notices to Skippers and official members from other governmental bodies as well as observers from the industry. (6) The technical specifications, which are the subject of this Regulation, correspond to the current technical state of the art. Experiences gained from the application of Directive 2005/44/[EC as well as future technical progress may make it necessary to amend the technical specifications in accordance with Article 5(2) of Directive 2005/44/EC. Amendments to the technical specifications shall take due account of the work carried out by the expert group on Notices to Skippers. (7)  The draft technical specifications have been examined by the Committee referred to in Article 11 of Directive 2005/44/EC. (8) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee referred to in Article 11 of Directive 2005/44/EC. HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 This Regulation defines the technical specifications for Notices to Skippers. The technical specifications are set out in the Annex to this Regulation. Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 22 March 2007. () OJ L 255, 30.9.2005, p. 152. For the Commission Jacques BARROT Vice-President