Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-24-Speech-2-254"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070424.46.2-254"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely believe that there are reasons to be satisfied with the results achieved, which are due to the cooperation and consensus that exists in this House with regard to the safety of our seas, such a sensitive issue amongst the citizens.
It is of course a huge relief for the civil population of the area to see the ships moving away, because it is one thing to see your beaches surrounded by expensive motorbikes and the latest perfumes, but it is quite another to see your beaches, your marine environment and wildlife soaked in tar or your fellow citizens affected by toxic gases.
So this authority should be created, but it should be given permanent powers and a vessel in distress should only be accepted if the prior assessment of the situation concludes that that is the best decision and if it reduces the risks.
Having said that, I am grateful for Mr Sterckx's tenacity in the difficult enterprise he has had to tackle. I am particularly pleased with the progress made on ships’ monitoring instruments, which are essential in order to tackle situations of risk.
Before going on to talk about my report, I would like, out of courtesy, to praise the work of Mrs Vlasto and of Mr Kohlícek and of course stress the immense job done by Mr Costa, We hope that that proposal will come to fruition because, now more than ever, after what has happened over recent days with the sinking of the cruise ship in Greek waters, we must increase the protection of passengers’ rights.
I shall finally comment on my report. As you will recall, we have been working on the fourth revision of Directive 94/57. It deals with the crucial role played by what are known as classification societies. Henceforth they will be recognised organisations.
The assessment carried out by the Commission over the last six months has revealed that there remain serious deficiencies in the safety inspection and certification process for the world fleet. It is therefore our duty once again to strengthen the action of these organisations even more and even more effectively.
To this end, the European Commission proposes a series of reforms that I support and that have been strengthened as a result of the dialogue with the Commission and the positive contributions of the parties involved and the members of the Committee on Transport.
Only in that way have we been able to strengthen the supervision mechanisms for recognised organisations through the creation of an assessment committee of an independent nature with permanent powers and which acts autonomously.
Only in that way have we been able to achieve a fairer and more flexible system of penalties, and a more effective one, since it penalises those who do not act as they should, but it does so according to the seriousness of the infringement committed and the economic capacity of the organisation. And only in that way have we been able to make progress on the thorny issue of the recognition of classification certificates, proposing the conditions under which recognised organisations will have to recognise each other mutually, without jeopardising maritime safety and using the strictest rules as a reference. Thank you very much.
This is the attitude we need to communicate to the Council, urging it to take the same approach, because we need to learn a lesson. We must act now. We cannot wait for the consensus that always comes after disasters, after we have seen horrendous images of our polluted beaches, after seeing our fishermen’s boats stuck in ports because it is impossible to fish, and after seeing the great suffering of families and regions that live from the sea.
We must treat these seven proposals as one, despite the complexities that may arise, because they are all inter-related; all of the players in the maritime transport chain are involved.
It therefore makes no sense to consider whether any particular one of these proposals is unnecessary or inappropriate. Each and every one of them is essential.
Nevertheless, there is one issue that worries me immensely and I would like to comment on it since it relates to a crucial aspect of the package. I am talking about the independent nature of the bodies and authorities created for the purposes of adopting the best possible decisions within the shortest possible space of time.
In this regard, I am talking specifically about the independent authority that is intended to take the always extremely difficult decision on whether to receive a vessel in distress in a place of refuge. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to express my disagreement with the, in my view, voluntarist, attitude adopted by the Committee on Transport and Tourism on this issue, which weakens even further the already fragile decision-making structure for places of refuge originally proposed by the European Commission.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is no point in creating an authority that is independent of the influences of the politicians unless it is given the resources and capacities needed to take decisions. Even more serious, however, would be to give it powers if, when it came down to it, it is left with only one choice: to be obliged to accept a vessel even though it lacks insurance and guarantees.
In that case, the entire burden falls to the Member State in question, which furthermore is the victim of the ecological and social damage that may result from accepting a vessel in a place of refuge, as well as having to cover those damages.
We must be realistic and deal with this history that repeats itself over and over again. In Spain, over the last three months, we have suffered two cases of vessels in distress close to our shores and, in both cases, on the basis of a detailed assessment of the emergency situation, the competent authority decided, with a view to minimising risks, not to bring the vessel to our shores."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples