Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-04-05-Speech-4-237"
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"en.20010405.13.4-237"2
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"C
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Commission, I would first of all like to congratulate the Committee on Fisheries, its chairman and, in particular, you, Mrs Miguélez Ramos, as rapporteur, on this initiative. The Commission entirely agrees with you. The safety of our fishermen must be given top priority. In the Green Paper on the future of the CFP, which I will shortly be presenting to Parliament, we have not forgotten this matter of concern and have thereby met one of your objectives, which you presented under paragraph 32 of the report.
By way of conclusion, Mrs Miguélez Ramos, I can agree with you fully. All of us – the European Parliament, the Commission, the Council, the Member States and international organisations – must do our outmost to ensure that the risk for our fishermen is reduced to an absolute minimum. Your initiative is an important step towards achieving this goal.
Since 1989, on the initiative of the Commission, the European Union has made every effort to improve the health and safety of workers in the fisheries sector. Framework Directive 89/391/EEC, together with the associated specific directives, offer a solid legal base. The following specific directives have also been issued: Directive 92/29/EEC on medical treatment on board, Directive 93/102/EEC concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for work on board fishing vessels and Directive 97/70/EEC setting up a harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over.
According to your report, Mrs Miguélez Ramos, there are problems above all in two areas: firstly, the correct maintenance of vessels and, secondly, the working conditions, hygiene and the organisation of work on board. The framework directive and the specific directives cover both these spheres of action. Having said that, we must note that more and more accidents are occurring in the fisheries sector. Just in the last few months, accidents have occurred which have led to a number of deaths. I would at this point like to express my deep condolences to the families affected.
The Commission can agree with you fully. First of all, the Member States must also implement the provisions of the directives. As far as your conclusions are concerned, Madam Rapporteur, I feel there is a need to act in the following areas. The first area has to do with the legal framework, which is covered in paragraphs 1 to 3 and paragraph 27 of your report. The applicable directives are essentially adequate but they are just minimum requirements, and there is nothing to prevent the Member States from issuing stricter rules or establishing special requirements for specific cases.
Moreover, the directives contain a reporting duty for the Member States with different timetables. With the help of these national reports, in 2002 the Commission will compile a summary report and, where necessary, table amendments. In preparation for this, we have started to amend Directive 97/70/EEC to ensure the harmonised interpretation of the Annexe to the Torremolinos International Convention.
The second area relates to the vocational and continuing training of workers, which is covered by paragraphs 7, 10, 11, 15, 16, 20, 26 and 30. The directives already contain articles on the vocational training of workers. Here too, however, we are dealing with minimum requirements. It therefore once again lies with Member States to see to it that they are implemented and, if needs be, to bring about higher standards. I can assure you, however, that the Commission will make the vocational and continuing training of workers in matters of safety one of the central issues in its forthcoming report.
However, the best rules are useless if they are not complied with correctly or at all. Monitoring and control are the main problems. But these fall exclusively within the remit of the Member States. We must therefore urge them to apply the provisions correctly. Moreover, objective, reliable and comparable data on the causes and circumstances of accidents are a prerequisite for successful prevention. In this regard, there is already an initiative on the harmonisation of data in the competent departments of Eurostat and also in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment.
As regards fleet renewal, I would like to remind you that one of the objectives of all the structural programmes in the fisheries sector is to modernise fishing vessels. In the context of the financial instrument on structural assistance in the fisheries sector, there are abundant resources available to improve safety on board.
Finally, as regards the international part of the CFP, the Commission has always insisted on compliance with the rules in force. Safety and health on board vessels are part and parcel of our overall strategy both in the bilateral agreements and in the regional fisheries organisations, as well as in the fight against illegal fishing and flying flags of convenience."@en1
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