Directive 2005/44/EC on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways ('RIS Directive') establishes rules on RIS to ensure the safety, efficiency and environmental protection of inland waterways in the EU. On 26 January 2024, the European Commission put forward a proposal to amend the RIS Directive with a view to addressing certain shortcomings. The amending directive should provide better-quality information, reduce efforts to collect basic information, reduce the need to re-register cargo information and report cargo information to ports, save costs through electronic processing of cargo information instead of on paper, save time spent planning voyages, save time on reporting requirements and improve navigation efficiency. In the European Parliament, the file has been assigned to the Committee on Transport and Tourism. The Council introduced several changes to the proposal, mainly with a view to making the existing rules clearer and more coherent from a technical perspective. On 26 June 2025, the Council and Parliament reached a political agreement. The proposal was adopted by Parliament at first reading on 7 October and then by the Council on 27 October. The directive entered into force on 1 January 2026, and has tSecond edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.o be transposed into Member States' law by 2 January 2029. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP Read more