Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-01-17-Speech-4-143"
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"en.20020117.7.4-143"2
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".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the communication on the training and recruitment of seafarers, which we are discussing today, is an important document for the Commission, intended to stimulate a debate at European level on the worrying problem of the falling number of Community seafarers. The Commission takes the view that the European Union in general, and its maritime industry in particular, cannot do without well-trained, efficient and motivated seafarers. 90% of the Union’s external trade and more than 35% of its internal trade depend on maritime transport, which means this activity is crucial to the economy of the Union. The communication explains that the Community cannot afford to lose its vital pool of experience unless it wishes to endanger safety and the environment
as well
as the competitiveness of maritime transport and of related sectors.
Furthermore, in the long term, the predicted dearth of Community seafarers will lead to a shortage of workers in the European Union in land-based activities related to maritime transport. We must conserve the knowledge and the experience gained by Community seafarers during their time at sea if the European Union wishes to avoid damaging the naval industry as a whole. The communication proposes various recommendations. All of the proposals are based on the principle that, whilst it remains relatively unattractive from the social and financial point of view in comparison with land-based work, a seafaring career will not be able to attract high-quality seafarers and, consequently, guarantee operational efficiency, safe seafaring and the proper maintenance of ships or achieve the reduction, which the maritime community needs to see, in the number of accidents and in marine pollution. This is especially true today, since, given the recent terrorist attacks, greater attention still needs to be paid to the human factor in all sectors, including the maritime sector.
I am particularly pleased to see that the European Parliament subscribes to this philosophy and supported most of our recommendations, at the same time making its own contribution with proposals that I feel are very constructive. I should, therefore, Madam President, like to thank the rapporteur, Mrs Kauppi, first of all, and then the entire European Parliament too, for the reception our communication has received.
The report that Parliament is going to adopt today will make a major contribution to stimulating the political debate on this issue. I can only hope that the Member States also agree swiftly to address the matter. The fact is that most of the actions proposed by the Commission, and which I hope Parliament will support, will have to be undertaken by the Member States, the naval institutes, the maritime sector and the social partners, and we hope shortly to see things set in motion. Today, we call on these bodies to act and the Commission wishes to express its thanks in advance. We are willing to continue research in the field of the employment, education and training of seafarers and to undertake a study of the economic variables that underpin maritime transport, as requested in Mrs Kauppi’s report."@en1
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