30.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 389/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 12 December 2006 laying down technical requirements for (2006/87[EC) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EURO- PEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Article 71(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee ('), Following consultation of the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3), Whereas: (1) Council Directive 82/714/EEC of 4 October 1982 laying down technical requirements for inland waterway vessels (°) introduced harmonised conditions for issuing technical certificates for inland waterway vessels in all Member States, albeit excluding operations on the Rhine. Nevertheless, at European level, various technical require- ments for inland waterway vessels have remained in force. Up to now, the coexistence of various international and national regulations has obstructed efforts to ensure mutual recognition of national navigation certificates without the need for an additional inspection of foreign vessels. Furthermore, the standards contained in Direc- tive 82/714/EEC, in part, no longer reflect current tech- nological developments. () 0JC157,25.5.1998,p.17. (3 Opinion of the European Parliament of 16 September 1999 (O] C 54, 25.2.2000, p. 79), Council Common Position of 23 February 2006 (O] C 166 E, 18.7.2006, p. 1), Position of the European Parliament of 5 July 2006 (not yet pulglished in the Official ]ournaﬁ and Council Deci- sion of 23 October 2006. (*) OJL 301, 28.10.1982, p. 1. Directive as last amended by the 2003 Act of Accession. inland waterway vessels and repealing Council Directive 82/714/EEC 2 ©) Essentially, the technical requirements set out in the annexes to Directive 82/714/EEC incorporate the provi- sions laid down in the Rhine Vessel Inspection Regu- lation, in the version approved by the Central Commis- sion for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) in 1982. The conditions and technical requirements for issuing inland navigation certificates under Article 22 of the Revised Convention for Rhine Navigation have been revised regu- larly since then and are recognised as reflecting current technological developments. For competition and safety reasons it is desirable, specifically in the interests of promoting harmonisation at European level, to adopt the scope and content of such technical requirements for the whole of the Community’s inland waterway network. Account should be taken in this regard of the changes that have occurred in that network. Community inland navigation certificates attesting the full compliance of wvessels with the aforementioned revised technical requirements should be valid on all Community inland waterways. It is desirable to ensure a greater degree of harmonisation between the conditions for the issuing of supplementary Community inland navigation certificates by Member States for operations on Zone 1 and 2 waterways (estu- aries), as well as for operations on Zone 4 waterways. In the interests of passenger transport safety, it is desir- able that the scope of Directive 82/714/EEC be extended to include passenger vessels designed to carry more than 12 passengers, along the lines of the Rhine Vessel Inspec- tion Regulation.