Connecting Platforms and Intermodal Logistics (CPIL)ABONA & PIONIRA

Overview

CPIL brings two eCMR and eFTI platform providers — ABONA and Pionira — together to prove that eFTI platforms operated in different Member States can behave as a single interoperable network. The pilot builds one eFTI Common Dataset (CDS) out of transport documents that today live in separate systems, and then exposes that dataset to competent authorities through an eFTI Gate and an authority-facing application. Its centre of gravity is the moment when goods change hands or change mode: road shipments leaving the Port of Zeebrugge for inland consignees in other Member States, and inland waterway consignment notes and manifests that have to be reconciled with road documentation.

Three use cases run in parallel: authority access to e-freight documents through the eFTI Gate, including routing between multiple Gates; an intermodal road and inland waterway scenario originating at Zeebrugge; and direct platform-to-platform eCMR exchange between Member States. Together they test not only whether data moves, but whether it stays complete, accurate and legally usable at the other end.

Lead beneficiary

ABONA and Pionira (eCMR / eFTI platform providers)

Countries involved

Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg

Transport modes

Road; road in combination with other modes (inland waterway)

Main stakeholders

ABONA · Pionira · 51Biz · Hegelmann · Port of Zeebrugge (ICO)

eFTI components

eFTI Gate · eFTI Platform · AAP · Registry of identifiers · CA application

Timeline

Planning 12.2024–02.2025
Development 03.2025–03.2027
Piloting 04.2027–04.2028
Results 02.2028–04.2028

Status
(summer 2026)

Development; interoperability demonstrated live in three locations
  • Enable seamless integration of eFTI platforms across Member States to create a unified eFTI Common Dataset (CDS) for digital freight documentation.
  • Demonstrate the practical application of eFTI standards in intermodal logistics, starting from road transport out of hubs such as the Port of Zeebrugge.
  • Develop and validate secure mechanisms for competent authorities to access economic operators’ data via tools such as OneApp and the eFTI Gate.
  • Provide a practical proof of concept for platform interoperability and interface standardisation between diverse eFTI solutions.
  • Streamline data exchange for economic operators, reducing administrative burden and improving data accuracy.

UC1

Competent authority eFTI data access to e-freight documents: platform integration with an eFTI Gate prototype, assessment of authority interaction with the platform via the Gate, and evaluation of data interchange between multiple Gates using different routing scenarios.

UC2

Intermodal case, road shipment from the Port of Zeebrugge to inland consignees in other Member States: integration of economic operators into eFTI platforms and generation of an eFTI CDS from inland waterway and road consignment notes and manifests.

UC3

eFTI platform eCMR interaction: integration of platforms from different Member States to build an eFTI dataset from eCMR data exchange, including secure and reliable exchange with non-eFTI platforms and applications.

The pilot has already been demonstrated live in Berlin, Malta and Oostkamp, with 51Biz’s OneApp for Authorities simulating a national authority access point and performing control procedures against transport information held on the participating platforms. Interoperability between eFTI components, cross-platform exchange based on eCMR information, authority access workflows and the eDelivery infrastructure have all been shown working in operational environments.

Three findings matter beyond this pilot. Business-to-business interaction between economic operators is not supported by the current framework out of the box; the European Commission has identified the concept of an “eFTI extension” as a possible way to enable it, which would replace proprietary bilateral integrations with a standardised approach. Digital signature standards and legal requirements are clear, but PIN-based signing is perceived as cumbersome by drivers — a gap between the available technical solutions and what operational users expect. And eDelivery proved reliable and scalable enough that the partners see strong potential for reusing it in e-invoicing, customs procedures and other cross-organisational exchanges.