Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-10-Speech-2-313"
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"en.20070710.54.2-313"2
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"Madam President, just this morning – an amazing coincidence given this debate on maritime policy! – I read a press article saying that human begins originate from water, that we cannot live without it and that 75% of an adult human being is made up of nothing but water.
Furthermore, three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered with the water of our seas and oceans and there is a constant cycle of transfers of water from the oceans to the atmosphere, from the atmosphere to the Earth, and finally it returns to the sea via the rivers. We therefore have a duty to pay the greatest possible attention to the sustainability of the marine environment, particularly given that for some time alarm bells have been ringing throughout the world with regard to the deterioration of the environment, in general, and climate change in particular.
We believe that in all institutions — both Community institutions and State, regional and local institutions — and also in the private field, measures that improve water quality must be adopted quickly. In this regard, we wish to express our concern at the long timetable that appears in the proposal for a directive on a marine strategy. We believe that, just like when we talk about atmospheric pollution and the hole in the ozone layer, we do not have much time left to act and reverse the current trend. Unless we do so as soon as possible, I fear that the damage will be irreversible.
We have therefore proposed that the timetable for drawing up the action plans within the new marine strategy be adapted urgently, bringing them into line with other important Union programmes, such as those funded by FEDER, the Cohesion Fund and also the agricultural policy, since there are also agricultural activities that lead to waste being dumped in the sea.
We also believe that we need more accurate information concerning what happens in the seas and oceans. We are in favour of better coordination and connection amongst all of the European marine research institutes, promoting either a network or a European consortium and creating a maritime database that is accessible to all of them.
We must improve training and information at all levels and disseminate best practices in relation to control and pollution. With regard to this aspect, I would insist once again on something that I have been saying for years, which is that we need to make it obligatory to install devices in ships – devices that have already been invented – for controlling the emptying and cleaning of tanks and bilge, in the form of black boxes that cannot be tampered with, which will be the best method for preventing deliberate dumping, though I still believe that this must be complemented with satellite monitoring and inspection.
We must not forget about the professional fishermen, who represent a significant group of the population whose way of life must be safeguarded for the future, preventing coastal and island areas from becoming depopulated or invaded by uncontrolled development.
Finally, we propose that the ‘polluter pays’ principle also be applied to the marine sector and that a Community fund be created for the repopulation and conservation of marine flora and fauna, based on contributions from all industrial, energy, tourist, leisure and all other kinds of activities that pollute our seas."@en1
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