Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-24-Speech-2-249"
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"en.20070424.46.2-249"2
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".
Madam President, honourable Members of Parliament, I should like to begin by thanking Mrs Roth, who has just shown that the German Presidency is very committed to this problem of maritime safety, and I am extremely grateful to her for that.
A final element of the proposal consists in gradually equipping fishing vessels that are more than 15 metres long with automatic identification systems that reduce the risks of collision with merchant vessels. Many tragedies will be prevented in this way. That is all I have to say about the three initial preventive proposals.
The aim of the final two proposals is for the consequences of maritime accidents to be dealt with more effectively. The Commission is proposing to have technical investigations systematically carried out after a maritime accident. We are not talking here about replacing criminal investigations, but about providing the European Union with an effective tool, based on international rules, that will give us a better insight into the causes of accidents. Staying with this subject, the matter of the independence of the investigative bodies is crucial. The idea is also to promote cooperation between authorities, particularly when several Member States are affected by the same accident. The European Maritime Safety Agency, which is already working on a joint methodology for investigating maritime accidents, must help us to implement a framework for permanent Community cooperation.
Finally, the last proposal concerns compensation for accident victims. The idea is to incorporate the provisions of the 2002 Athens Convention on passengers’ rights into Community law, and to extend them to national traffic and to inland navigation. All European passengers will thus be able to benefit from the compensation system introduced by this convention, irrespective of the mode of transport used and the journey made. I would stress this point. What is the explanation for the fact that a passenger travelling between two ports in the same country is not treated the same as another passenger travelling internationally?
So much, ladies and gentlemen, for my introductory remarks. Later on, I shall explain the position adopted by the Commission on the reports by Mrs Vlasto, Mr Strerckx, Mr Kohlíček, Mr Costa and Mr Grandes Pascual. I should like to thank them in advance for the outstanding work that they have done.
I should like to conclude, Madam President, by saying that, if we wish to prevent further oil slicks, we must now be able to make the entire maritime transport chain safer and, in this respect, none of these proposals are pointless. These seven proposals are necessary if we are truly to have an effective system, a system that will really allow Europe to set an example to the world in the area of maritime safety.
In March, I presented to you two of the seven proposals from the third legislative package on maritime safety. The debate and the vote that took place back then clearly demonstrated Parliament’s broad support. I am confident that the same will be true today regarding the five other proposals.
Three of them are part of the preventive section of the package, and I shall start by mentioning the amendment to the Directive on classification societies. By granting Community-wide recognition to these societies, we are indirectly controlling almost 90% of the world’s tonnage. It is therefore vital that the work of these bodies is of a high quality. That is why the Commission has proposed the implementation of an independent body, in charge of certifying quality control systems.
Next, we are introducing a system of gradual and proportional financial penalties. This system is more flexible than the current one, which only provides for the withdrawal of recognition. Thus, it will be easier for the Commission to have any shortcomings corrected.
What is more, the certificates accompanying the equipment installed on board ships should benefit from the mutual recognition of the accredited bodies. Established as it is on the basis of equivalent standards of the highest technical level, this mutual recognition will have two positive effects. It will remove the pointless barriers to free movement within the internal market, and, for the manufacturers of marine equipment, it will reduce the costs associated with the countless number of certification procedures. The savings made can be usefully devoted to research into safety.
Quite apart from the necessary formal exercise of simplifying the directive on port State control, the Commission is seeking to promote a more effective use of resources. On the one hand, we are seeking to replace the target for each individual Member State to control 25% of ships with a Europe-wide collective target. In short, we want to control all ships. On the other hand, we are seeking to carry out more frequent inspections on ships with a high-risk profile. Too many sub-standard ships today are still escaping all controls.
The new system will help prevent this, while rewarding quality ships by making them undergo fewer controls. Sub-standard ships that pass through European waters without calling at a port pose a special risk. That is why we have sought to increase the inspections of anchorages off the coasts.
Finally, the strengthening of the provisions on refusal of access, particularly through the introduction of permanent banning measures, is a powerful measure. It is unacceptable for ships not only to be detained but also to be repeatedly banned. The Union must state very clearly that it will not accept persistent offenders in its waters.
The third text that is going to strengthen our range of preventive measures amends the directive on traffic monitoring. The legal framework applicable to places of refuge needs to be clarified so that decisions are taken more quickly and more effectively when accidents occur at sea. That means being ready to tackle all kinds of situations involving all kinds of ships. The key point in this regard is the independence of the decision-making process, the requirement for speed and, hence, the requirement for a dangerous situation not to turn into an environmental disaster affecting several Member States. It is also a question of consolidating the SafeSeaNet network as a system for exchanging information, throughout Europe, on the monitoring of vessel traffic and the movements of dangerous or polluting cargo."@en1
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