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The significant achievements obtained from the first phase of the current EDIMARS contract (i.e. from March to September 1997) are the following :

• a description of the existing organisation of statistical data collection for Member States that had not been involved yet in EDIMARS, through interviews and visits: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, and Italy.
• the identification of major problems to be solved with the help of EDIMARS in order to facilitate the implementation of EDI in the above-mentioned Member States as well as in Portugal and France. Contacts are also under way with Finland, Ireland, and Sweden.
• the monitoring of national projects carried out in Germany and the UK.
• an overview of current projects and developments relative to electronic transmission of statistical data in the field of maritime transport in the European Union. Denmark and the United Kingdom are planning a national programme in order to improve electronic commerce using EDI technology.

Spain has now reached an operational level, carrying on the effort from the previous years. The Netherlands are focusing on a national project. These Member States have expressed no interest in being directly supported anymore by EDIMARS.

All Member States now involved in the project are implementing an EDI solution for collecting and disseminating statistical data. Conversion mechanisms between tables, LOCODEs updating, security of transmissions are recurrent questions from the Member States, as well as computer system solutions for small ports and small transport operators.

This phase confirms the role of EDIMARS in providing support for faciliting EDI implementation in the Member States. Use of the « Know how network » facilities (Web service, forum, Email, etc.) will be highly emphasized.