We continue with our eFTI Journey series, introducing our project partner Trafikstyrelsen, the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, to explore how national coordination, Nordic cooperation and real-life testing are helping prepare public authorities for the application of the eFTI Regulation from 9 July 2027.
Trafikstyrelsen, which is coordinating the national preparations needed to enable competent authorities to receive and use freight transport information electronically. At the same time, Denmark is working closely with Finland, Norway and Sweden on a joint Nordic eFTI Gate approach, combining national implementation with cross-border cooperation.
From pilot exercises simulating roadside controls to the upcoming development and technical testing phase, the Danish experience highlights one key message: making eFTI work is not simply about building another IT system. It requires authorities, platforms, Gates and economic operators to work together as part of one connected ecosystem.
What is your organisation currently working on in relation to eFTI?
We are preparing Danish authorities to receive and use eFTI data from July 2027. This work takes place on two levels. Nationally, we are coordinating with competent authorities, including the police, as they prepare and develop the solutions they will need to use eFTI in practice.
At the international level, we are working together with Finland, Norway and Sweden through the Nordic eFTI Gate Partnership, with the aim of developing a coordinated approach and supporting interoperability across the Nordic countries.
Where are you currently in your eFTI journey? What have you achieved or progressed on so far?
Together with our Nordic partners, we have already carried out a pilot exercise to explore how eFTI could operate in real control situations, including roadside controls, and how information would move across the different components of the eFTI ecosystem. The experience gained through this exercise is now being brought back to our national stakeholders. We are moving from the conceptual and planning phase towards development and technical testing, where we will be able to connect the different parts of the ecosystem and see how they perform together in practice.
What are the main challenges you are facing?
One of the main challenges is that implementation is progressing while some elements of the wider European framework are still evolving, particularly in relation to certification and technical specifications.
At the same time, we need to make sure that eFTI fits naturally into the existing workflows of competent authorities.
The objective should not simply be to introduce another IT system. eFTI needs to support the work authorities already perform and make access to freight transport information easier and more efficient.
What have you learned so far that could be useful for others?
Our pilot activities have shown us just how complex the eFTI and logistics ecosystem actually is.
Successful implementation depends on the entire chain working together: from the economic operator and the eFTI platform, through the eFTI Gate, all the way to the competent authority accessing the information. This means that progress cannot depend on technology alone. It also requires strong coordination, a shared understanding of processes and close cooperation between actors that may have very different roles and needs.
What would you recommend to organisations that are at an earlier stage of their eFTI journey?
Start by looking at the processes you already have.
Map your existing workflows and concrete use cases, and speak directly with the people who will actually use eFTI in their daily work. Understanding their needs early can make it easier to design solutions that genuinely support operational processes. We would also recommend looking for opportunities to cooperate and reuse existing solutions wherever possible, rather than developing everything independently.
What are you most looking forward to in the next phase of your eFTI work?
We are particularly looking forward to moving from specifications and architecture to real technical testing.
Connecting authorities, eFTI Gates and eFTI platforms end-to-end will allow us to better understand how the complete system functions in practice and identify what still needs to be adjusted before July 2027.
Denmark’s eFTI journey shows that digitalising freight transport information is as much an organisational challenge as a technical one.
By combining preparation within Danish authorities with cooperation through the Nordic eFTI Gate Partnership, Denmark is working towards an implementation model in which different systems and actors can operate as one interconnected chain.
The next phase — bringing authorities, Gates and eFTI platforms together through real testing — will be an important step towards turning architecture and specifications into an operational eFTI environment ready for 9 July 2027.
