About Electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI)
Electronic freight transport information (eFTI) is an EU-wide project aiming to establish a legal and standardised framework for the digital exchange of freight transport information between companies and authorities monitoring the movement of goods, police and customs administrations in Finland. The project will be completed in 2027, by which time European authorities are expected to have the capacity to receive and process freighting documents in electronic form. The service is based on the EU Regulation 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information (eFTI).
The European Commission promotes the development of data exchange as part of Mobility Package III, which introduced two regulatory projects concerning logistics information: the regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSW) and the regulation on electronic freight transport information (eFTI). The aim is to boost the efficiency of freight traffic and logistics as well as reduce the administrative burden for operators. This work has been preceded by the European Commission’s ‘Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future.’
In Finland Traficom acts as the responsible authority and Fintraffic is developing the system.
The project concerns freight transport information transmitted with freight carried by rail, road, airways and inland water within Europe.
The objective of the eFTI regulation is to:
- Promote the efficiency of freight traffic and logistics, which is vital for the growth and competitiveness of the Union economy, the functioning of the internal market and the social and economic cohesion of all regions of the Union.
- Encourage the digitalisation of freight transport and logistics to reduce administrative costs, improve enforcement capabilities of authorities, and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of transport.
- Establish a uniform legal framework at the Union level requiring authorities to accept relevant freight transport information, required by legislation, in electronic form. The acceptance by authorities of information in electronic form with common specifications would ease not only communication between authorities and economic operators but, indirectly, also the development of uniform and simplified business-to-business electronic communication across the Union. It would also lead to significant administrative cost savings for economic operators. According to the European Commission, the transport and logistics sector is expected to save EUR 27 billion over the next 20 years.