04/12/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 4 December, the Council of the European Union’s Telecommunications Council voted in favour of the draft directive on the recognition of vocational qualifications in the inland waterways transport domain. This text will provide sector professionals with an opportunity for having their skills recognised as part of a single certificate. This certificate was already the subject of an inter-institutional agreement between representatives from the European Parliament and the former Maltese Presidency of the Council on 27 June last (see EUROPE 11817). Parliament’s plenary session also largely supported this text on 14 November (see EUROPE 11904). Estonia's Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, Kadri Simson, stated, “The common certificate will improve the career prospects and mobility of inland navigation professionals and give a welcome boost to this particularly environmentally friendly mode of transport". (LT)