Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-12-Speech-1-102"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20040112.7.1-102"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I begin by thanking our rapporteur, Mr Pex, although he is absent this evening, for his work on this very important report, which we broadly support. It is extremely important to have legislation in place under which those responsible for unlawful oil or chemical discharges from ships can be prosecuted. We are no longer prepared to put up with reckless behaviour, which too often has resulted in irreparable damage to the environment. Nevertheless, it is necessary to differentiate between intentional and accidental pollution.
The United Kingdom already has criminal sanctions in place for unlawful discharges from ships, as specified in the Marpol Convention, and matters relating to criminal law should, as such, fall within the competence of the Member State and not the Community. Furthermore, as there have been no practical difficulties between Member States in deciding where a prosecution should take place, this proposal should be removed from the framework decision. Finally on this point, the introduction of a European coastguard is neither practical nor necessary, nor is it consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. British Conservative MEPs will oppose those amendments.
As regards the Poignant Report, in principle we support this proposal and accept that the new regulation will improve cooperation between the administrators of maritime registers in the Member States. As I clearly pointed out prior to the vote in the debate of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, British Conservative MEPs will vehemently oppose the integration of the emblem of the European Union onto our Red Ensign. It will do nothing to enhance security and could even make EU-registered ships potential targets. In addition, identification is not an issue, as all vessels carry their unique IMO numbers as well as the name of their ports of registry.
To conclude, registration principles are determined internationally in the United Nations and IMO system, which is global rather than European. The EU is not a nation-state – fortunately – and it is doubtful whether anyone else would recognise an EU flag in terms of the international conventions."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples