From November 12 to 14, 2024, Estonian eFTI4EU project partners in collaboration with Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) hosted the “eFTI4EU Testfest” in Tallinn, Estonia. The three-day event gathered technical experts, pilot leaders, and co-development teams to explore the implementation of electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI), with a particular emphasis on the eFTI Gate interoperability and its potential to revolutionize cross-border freight operations.
The opening day of the Testfest provided an overview of national pilots and cross-border capabilities. Attendees examined status of key performance indicators and brainstormed strategies to expedite pilot activities in order to meet project targets and national eFTI implementation requirements. Insights were shared regarding the current version of the eFTI Gate reference implementation, which underpins data exchange between national systems and which first public release will be soon published as open source solution for all. This day emphasized the critical importance of eFTI interoperability in advancing data exchange and ensuring effective cross-border data exchange between Competent Authorities.
On the second day, the focus was shifted to hands-on testing, where technical teams successfully established the first-ever communication between Finnish, French and eFTI reference implementation Gates. A series of test scenarios was used to test basic funtions of Gate to Gate data exchange. Test covered tersting of eDelivery and query and respond funtions, which are vital for interoperable eFTI system. Discussions also progressed on the development of the Gate-to-platform API, with participants agreeing on a plan for further documentation and testing. With this decision team can soon engage platforms also to the tests.
The final day of the event continued with testing and highlighted a successful achievement by the Italian team, which successfully deployed the first version of their Harmony eDelivery solution. These milestones demonstrated the growing momentum of the eFTI4EU project and laid the foundation for more complex and agile testing scenarios planned for future Testfests.
The Testfest concluded with very good results, setting a clear direction ahead. Co-development teams celebrated their first successful Gate-to-Gate communication, laying a solid groundwork for the advancement of eFTI implementation and system testing, which can now be established efficiently using the eFTI reference implementation. “Test fest was proof that Gate-to-Gate connection is working and created confidence within the eFTI4EU project that we are on the right track,” said Teemu Heikura (Fintraffic). “Developers participating in Testfest did a wonderful job. Now, development continues, and in the spring, the next bigger testing event will be held, where we will test the whole eFTI pipeline from company to authority.”
In the end, the eFTI4EU Testfest not only highlighted the project’s dedication to promoting technical innovation but also emphasized the collaborative spirit that is propelling Europe towards a more digital and efficient freight transport system. “Testfest has proven that developers from different countries are fully aligned and are working well together,” noted Christophe Danna (IN Groupe). “We can be confident about the upcoming steps, such as onboarding new countries and conducting end-to-end testing.” Preparations for the next Testfest in March 2025 are already in motion, with goals to broaden testing to open environments and incorporate new Gates and platforms.
