Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-22-Speech-1-075"
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"en.20030922.5.1-075"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I would also like to congratulate the rapporteur for his excellent work, and the Commissioner for her tenacious efforts in this field.
It makes sense, almost a year after the
incident, to assess the situation and see what lessons can be learnt. First of all, with respect to the environment, credit is due to the efforts made by the Spanish authorities, with the invaluable help of fishermen and thousands of volunteers, to extract the remaining fuel oil, minimise the risks, clean up the coastline and repair ecosystems, though it is regrettable that pollutants are still leaking from the wreck every day.
Secondly, with respect to assigning liability, it is deplorable that, a year on, investigations should be so faint-hearted. This is a matter not simply of investigating, trying and punishing the polluter, but also of assigning liability at other levels: firstly, at the level of those who should have inspected the ship and failed to do so and, secondly, at the level of those who conducted inspections and then failed to act on them. Lastly, it should be determined to what extent those who managed the crisis are liable. Assigning liability may be an uncomfortable process, but it is an essential one. Rather than set up a belated temporary Parliamentary committee on the
however, our responsibility is to implement, on a daily basis, all the democratic controls falling within our competence, as, indeed, we have today.
Thirdly, with respect to legislation, I welcome the Commission proposals to shorten the implementation deadlines for the Erika I and Erika II packages. The Member States are now responsible for ensuring full and speedy compliance with the regulations enshrining the ban on single hull vessels, more thorough inspections of vessels in our ports, monitoring systems, the list of safe havens and contingency plans in case of accidents.
Above and beyond these initiatives, however, it is vital to go further and implement new rules, such as establishing shipping lanes further away from the coasts, inspecting ships carrying dangerous substances within the 200-mile zone, drawing up a code of conduct for manufacturers and freight companies, establishing a European fleet of pollution-fighting ships, laying down minimum requirements for resources and equipment for providing assistance, rescue and preventive measures. Finally, a clear timetable for introducing changes to international maritime law must be established."@en1
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