From 3 to 6 November, the CESNI/QP week took place in Strasbourg, with the Social and Education Committee of the European IWT Platform represented by Henriëtte Schreuders and Gerit Fietze.
During the QM meeting on 3 November, discussions focused on the medical examination certificate and the importance of organising more regular exchanges among medical advisors. The group also addressed the upcoming transition deadline of 22 January 2032, after which boatmasters will no longer be able to exchange certificates under the current rules. Updated FAQs on medical examinations were finalised and submitted to the QP meeting for approval.
On 5 November, the QP/Crew meeting provided clarity on the status of the new crewing requirements, the structure of the e-tools, and the overall planning. A significant part of the session was devoted to the logbook, examining which information must be recorded, how to simplify registration, and which data could be exchanged with other systems. The group also reviewed the first version of the crewing tables, including an initial comparison of requirements for Rhine and Danube convoys.
During the CESNI/QP plenary on 6 November, the European Commission reported on the recognition processes for Serbia and Ukraine regarding the professional qualifications directive. The planning for the e-tools and crewing table proposals was revisited, accompanied by updates on competence guidelines, the fitness check, and work on alternative fuels and propulsion. The revised medical examination FAQs were formally approved. The week concluded with presentations on the 1System4IWT Learning project and the new Schipperwelzijn simulator centre in Antwerp.
