Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-18-Speech-3-099"
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"en.20021218.6.3-099"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, only a few weeks ago, when the
had just sunk, I made clear to Parliament my fury and disappointment that we had been unable to prevent this tragedy from occurring.
It means that when we say we are going to allow the Agency, which we are currently setting up and which will begin work, I hope, in January, to begin to monitor and indicate, where necessary, any deficiencies or shortcomings, we pay attention to the Agency when it does point any out and that we take the necessary steps to correct them.
These are the factors we need to promote. We have already seen the results of prolonged delays, paying more attention to certain problems. I do not deny that these problems existed but they prevented us from taking swift enough action. We cannot allow the tragic results of this to happen again along European coastlines.
I must stipulate that, following the
disaster, it has been extremely frustrating for me to see that we in Europe have been unable to do what the United States did after the
incident. I refuse to believe that we in the European Union should be content with fewer laws and fewer powers than the citizens of the United States, for example. I repeat, therefore, that the European Union is not enough. We must also make progress at international level.
Mr President, the Commission, and I shall end here, understands that there are various levels and timetables. We are now experiencing the impact of these coastlines destroyed by an oil slick, and having to deal with these people whose lives, homes and opportunities are affected. That is the issue we must address first of all. We must solve existing problems, and European solidarity has been demonstrated clearly here, in the Transport Council and the Environment Council, and, I would imagine, is currently being demonstrated in the Fisheries Council, in any case, in the Copenhagen European Council.
This solidarity has also been demonstrated with regard to funds; reprogramming funds; direct access to disaster funds; economic contributions, but also providing resources, people and efforts by the various countries of the Union which, in different ways, have helped to mitigate the disaster we are currently facing.
Although this must be our immediate concern, however, we also need to act immediately, urgently, to prevent any more disasters of this kind. We must act, as I have said, to implement bans within the Member States to ensure that the most contaminating products are transported in more secure vessels, to guarantee that these are monitored to the highest possible degree; but we also need to act immediately, while knowing that this will only bear fruit in the medium term, at international level, to promote change in international maritime law.
Lastly, I would like to say that the Commission, as well as setting up the Agency, as well as authorising and mobilising various funds, as well as making changes with regard to the use and allocation of certain existing funds, will now table a regulation with a European standard to speed up the timetable for banning single-hulled vessels in the field of oil transportation in European waters and ports. Immediately banning the use of all vessels but the most secure means banning single-hulled vessels in the transportation of the most contaminating products and therefore requiring the use of double-hulled vessels.
In order to make progress in clarifying responsibilities, we need to create a penal classification at European level, in all the countries of the Union, to cover serious negligence, when this type of situation occurs.
I would like, by means of this and other measures, to further increase the security of our ports and our waters, internally and at international level.
Unable to prevent a tragedy that was foreseen, that we knew could happen at any time and that we could not prevent because we lacked the political impetus, the will, the decisiveness required to move more swiftly and decisively in applying the measures proposed by the Commission at the time.
Mr President, I would like to end by saying that the Commission, just as it did in the case of the
is responding promptly, swiftly and decisively. We hope that the Council and Parliament will respond similarly and with the same political and practical commitment, so that we might avoid having to hold another debate such as this in years to come.
Today I must reiterate this. I would like to do so because we cannot allow a third disaster to take place. We cannot, following the
and the
allow another
or
to sully our coasts. The result of this debate and your vote tomorrow, here in Parliament, must therefore be the same result as that of 6 December in the Council of Ministers, in other words, a clear, determined will to implement radical changes, to take decisions immediately, in all the Member States of the Union and to go further, at international level, because, I repeat, we need to protect European coastlines first of all, but Europe also has international leadership responsibilities, which mean that we need to respect and maintain clean seas throughout the world, not just along our own coastlines.
In this regard, I would first like to thank the Danish Presidency for the decisive support given by the Council of Ministers the other day to these measures, which specifically led to Council conclusions that are, if they are really put into practice – and that is the key – a genuine, decisive step forward for European maritime security.
I would therefore like to thank the Danish Presidency for its work, but I would then like to say that the statements made the other day must be put into practice, in each and every country in the European Union. Putting them into practice means that when decisions are taken to prohibit the entry into and exit from European ports of single-hulled vessels carrying oil, tar, bituminous products or heavy fuel oil, these decisions must be upheld.
It means asking the Commission to present a proposal to bring forward the deadline for banning single-hulled vessels, single-hulled oil tankers, for oil transportation, from our waters and then supporting this proposal when it is on the table at the Council of Ministers.
It means that when we say we are going to increase controls in ports in the various States of the Union, we actually employ the necessary staff, provide them with the necessary means and carry out these controls.
It means that when we say we are going to promote progress in international maritime legislation at international level, adapting international maritime legislation to new challenges, new risks and new social demands, we really do promote this from now on, all together, all Fifteen of us, and, I hope, the ten new States and the other candidate countries."@en1
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