Wijziging van Boek 8 van het Burgerlijk Wetboek in verband met de invoering van het elektronisch cognossement

This Dutch bill of legislation amends Book 8 of the Civil Code, which governs transport and shipping contracts. The change would allow the bill of lading, the document that serves as a receipt for goods and as evidence of the contract of carriage, to exist in electronic form with the same legal effect as a paper version. The aim is to modernise cargo documentation and reduce reliance on paper. This summary is based on metadata only, not the full legislative text. The change mainly affects shipping companies, carriers, freight forwarders, traders, banks and ports that handle goods documented by bills of lading. It also matters for businesses in the Netherlands that rely on digital trade documentation. Details on the exact requirements for electronic systems are not available from the metadata.