Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-30-Speech-4-074"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20001130.2.4-074"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
I voted in favour of the Watts report, which aims to enhance the quality and frequency of inspections in the ports of the Member States of the European Union. The European Commission proposes to introduce a certain uniformity of inspection procedures and sets out the conditions under which access to the ports of the Member States of the European Union can be refused: these are the minimum conditions for a common policy on maritime safety.
These provisions have the effect of strengthening safety checks on ships in our ports but do not make it possible to ban dangerous ships that do not drop anchor at one of our ports from sailing in our territorial waters. The limitations of these proposals are therefore clear. One can therefore deplore the fact that the Commission proposal has not taken up the idea of the establishment of a European surveillance body on the model of the coastguards in the United States.
We will settle for setting up a European system of surveillance and information exchange between Member States. The European Parliament will have to ensure that the financial and human resources that are needed to effectively establish this rapid reaction and information exchange system are quickly made available by the Member States. I would point out that the European Union has some 270 inspectors charged with state port control. This figure falls far short of the number of inspectors needed to implement the measures we are proposing in ports.
The rapporteur has put forward a number of proposals enhancing the binding nature and effectiveness of these inspections. I fully support the ban on navigation for ships which have been detained twice in the course of the preceding 2 years, irrespective of the age of the ship. However, I believe that this measure should be considered a minimum requirement and I hope that we will be able to go much further.
To do so, we must be sure that the measures we are proposing today are implemented by all the Member States of the European Union. The responsibility for putting these measures in place rests therefore with the Member States. Without additional inspectors and without extra financial resources, the controls proposed in the ports will remain a fiction. We therefore call on the Member States to make a real commitment to maritime safety."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples