Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-05-10-Speech-2-022"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050510.3.2-022"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, my first word is a word of thanks to your rapporteur, who has carried out some truly excellent work.
I therefore once again thank your rapporteur and all those who have examined this text. I thank you, in particular, for conferring on this document the full importance that it deserves and, Mr President, Minister, I hope for your speedy agreement on this matter.
The recent wave of terrorist attacks has demonstrated that no country or business sector is immune to such threats. Whatever their motives may be, these terrorist acts can occur in any place, at any time. The maritime world and port environment do not escape such threats, and we cannot wait for an attack before we take what are essentially preventative measures within the transport policy framework.
The fundamental objective of this proposal for a directive is to complete, at port level, the measures adopted in 2004 exclusively on port terminals, within the context of the regulations regarding the security of ships and port facilities. You will recall that this regulation transposes, at Community level, the security measures adopted by the International Maritime Organisation in December 2002, particularly the ISPS code on the security of ships and port facilities. At that time, the Commission had chosen to extend the security measures to the entire port area only at a later stage and by means of a directive.
Our final objective is to emerge from this near artificial separation between the port, on the one hand, and the port facilities that make up the port, on the other, and to implement a coherent security plan that takes into account the geography and the topography of different ports, as well as the various areas of which it is composed, on a case-by-case basis, according to the Member States’ transposition. We believe that this approach is viable in terms of efficiency and cost.
I would like to stress that our proposal is largely based on the results of a piece of work carried out jointly by the International Labour Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation, which has led to the publication of a code of conduct on port security. This code of conduct is not, however, legally binding. That is why the Commission’s proposal requires the same structures and security measures as the regulation already in force, in order to create a security regime that applies to maritime transport as a whole, starting with ships and extending as far as the port area.
This approach enables procedures and synergies to be simplified where security is concerned. The proposed directive calls on Member States to define the confines of their ports and to ensure that port security assessments and port security plans are drafted in an appropriate manner, and in accordance with minimum requirements.
The proposal submitted before you also makes provision for a port security authority to be designated for each individual port or group of ports, a port security officer to be appointed, and focal points to be set up in Member States in order to ensure that the necessary communication takes place with other Member States and, of course, with the Commission. Finally, the proposal makes provision for a Community-wide system of inspections of the implementation of port security measures.
I shall conclude my speech, Mr President, by stressing in particular that some of our major trade partners have already carried out an extensive implementation of the International Maritime Organisation’s ISPS-code. These third countries enforce the security measures in all of their ports and naturally expect the same commitment from us. They are all set to come and check that that is the case if we do not move more quickly in this direction. I believe that the European Union cannot be outdone in this area, both for reasons of trade but also for the protection, naturally, of our fellow European citizens and of such vital infrastructures as our ports.
I would add that, when I travelled to the United States last month, I was able to visit Mr Jackson, who is responsible for national security. To be perfectly frank, we have really initiated a form of cooperation based on trust. That also implies, however, that Europeans are truly willing to consent to the efforts required to ensure this large-scale security effort across all port facilities."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples