Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-18-Speech-3-110"
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"en.20021218.6.3-110"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, President-in-Office of the Council, like many of my fellow Members and like many European citizens, I welcome the proposals – which I support – made by the Commission in the wake of the
disaster and presented again here vigorously by Mrs de Palacio. As we all know, however, they may not be enough. If we want to avoid finding ourselves discussing the effects of another disaster in the near future, certain measures need to be taken without delay, with less lukewarm cooperation from the Council: port controls must be stepped up, crews must be given training, assistance must be provided to vessels in difficulty, and, above all, ‘old tubs’
must be banned
and single-hulled vessels rapidly replaced. I stress the need to speed up as fast as technologically possible the introduction of the obligation for oil tankers and other vessels with dangerous cargoes to be double-hulled.
If we are actually to make a difference in this area, we need practical measures. I therefore propose that access to certain ports located in sensitive areas should be restricted without delay to double-hulled vessels. These areas should be progressively defined and delimited at European level, with the introduction of similar measures to those currently in force, for instance, in Venice harbour. Moreover, the capacity for demolition of old vessels, which is currently inadequate in northern Europe, in particular, must be enhanced with the provision of incentives.
The problems ensuing from this drastic measure will only be temporary and will, in any case, be incomparably less than those which would arise should similar disasters take place in sensitive
areas, and I am thinking with horror of certain parts of the Mediterranean.
Are the Commission and the Council prepared to subordinate the economic considerations which thus far have been given priority to the demands of environmental protection? The Commission’s response would appear to bode well. I call upon the Council to be equally courageous."@en1
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