Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-20-Speech-2-517"
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"en.20080520.36.2-517"2
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"Mr President, about a year ago the Commission adopted the Green Paper on better ship dismantling. Since then, there have been various developments, particularly in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), where a draft convention on ship recycling is being prepared and is expected to be approved in May 2009. However, recent reports in the media have once again revealed the dismal reality of shipbreaking practices in some parts of South Asia. I am therefore particularly satisfied with the support the European Parliament has given to the Commission’s initiative to improve shipbreaking practices.
About 90% of all large ships decommissioned around the world in 2007 were dismantled on the coasts of South Asia, mainly in India and Bangladesh. Many of these ships were from the EU. We estimate that one quarter of the global fleet flies the flag of an EU Member State, and about 40% of all vessels are owned by EU-based companies.
Shipbreaking on South Asian coasts is often carried out under appalling conditions: there is no protection against pollution whatsoever and workers’ lives are at risk. Very few ships have their hazardous materials removed before they reach the breaking yards. What Mr Blokland has just said about ship cleaning in Holland is very significant. When the ships reach their destination, the waste materials in question are removed in a way that is dangerous and harmful to the environment. To overcome this situation, international rules and Community legislation are already in place. However, the Basel Convention and the Waste Shipments Regulation are very often contravened and are rarely observed by the countries of destination, on the pretext that the ship is making its last voyage.
According to the figures available to us, the number of ships reaching the end of their lives is steadily increasing, and the rules in question should therefore be adapted accordingly. The IMO draft Convention on ship recycling signals some progress in this area. It is likely to be approved in 2009 and we, for our part, shall do whatever we can to make that convention strong and effective. However, it will not apply to warships, state-owned vessels or other vessels in the service of the state. Furthermore, its implementation may take five or six years. Apart from this, the convention will be effective only if accompanied by the adoption of measures at national and regional level. Some Member States have already begun to take measures, as Mr Blokland has said, but a number of others have not yet begun to map out a strategy. For these reasons, it is essential to take measures in good time and at Community level.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you once again for your report and for the support you are giving the Commission regarding the proposed measures. The report contains interesting and useful ideas, which we shall study carefully when devising our strategy.
In particular, I should like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Blokland, for his efforts, and Mr Hammerstein, Mr Evans and the other members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Transport and Tourism, for their contribution."@en1
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