Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-23-Speech-2-315"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20080923.37.2-315"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
". −
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on Saturday 14 September – so just a few days ago – a French tuna fishing boat was chased by pirates 420 miles from the coast of Somalia. This was not an isolated incident. Since the beginning of July 10 vessels have been captured and 250 seamen have been taken hostage. Consequently, fishing vessels – and you can understand their reasons – are reluctant to operate, and the 50 or so French and Spanish tuna vessels that used to fish off the Seychelles and Somalia have decided to go back to the Seychelles archipelago.
Apart from the fact that these acts of piracy are on the increase, it seems clear that they are no longer happening just along the coast but are tending to extend further out, to international waters, disrupting not only the activities of fishing and cargo vessels in transit, but also – and this is very serious – of vessels operating within the framework of humanitarian programmes, particularly the World Food Programme, which supplies essential aid to the very many displaced populations in Somalia.
This phenomenon has become a cause for concern at global level. The French President, Mr Sarkozy, recently said that these were no longer isolated cases but a criminal industry challenging one of the fundamental freedoms, the freedom to circulate, as well as the freedom to conduct international trade. The French President finished by saying: ‘the world cannot accept this!’
Against this background, in May and June the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolutions 1814 and 1816. In response to the worsening of this issue, it is currently working on a new resolution aimed at mobilising the international community to apply existing instruments of repression and prevention more effectively within the framework of the Law of the Sea and Security Council resolutions.
For their part, the EU Member States have already set out to do this and on 26 May expressed their determination to work together to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. A crisis management concept was approved by the Council on 5 August. More recently, at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 September, the Council adopted a strategic military option with a view to a possible naval operation under the European Security and Defence Policy. I would like to remind you formally that the launch of a naval operation is clearly envisaged, as the French Presidency said last Tuesday to Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, at the end of the aforementioned Council meeting.
Until an operation takes place, because of the urgency of action, a first step was taken by the Council with the formation of a naval coordination cell. It is directed by a Spanish senior officer and consists of four maritime experts whose role is to facilitate the exchange of information between merchant navies and any naval vessels in the area, on a regular or occasional basis. The Cell, located in Brussels, will be responsible for supporting surveillance and protection actions conducted by the Member States off the coast of Somalia. This initiative should be in three sections: the accompanying of certain vulnerable vessels in transit through the Gulf of Aden, the protection of World Food Programme humanitarian convoys destined for Somalia, and the surveillance of fishing areas off the southern coast of Somalia. Member States with naval units operating off the Somali coast are invited to inform the Cell of this, in particular to improve the chances of protecting the most vulnerable merchant vessels.
In parallel, Madam President, the European Union will continue preparations for a possible naval operation under the European Security and Defence Policy. An information-gathering mission, consisting of European experts from the Military Staff of the European Union and the Secretariat-General of the Council, is currently in the region, refining a strategic plan. It is due to deliver its conclusions on 29 September.
You will see, ladies and gentlemen, that the European Union is not only showing its determination to act, but is also affirming its position as a prime mover on the international scene in the fight against piracy. We must give ourselves the resources to act quickly and in a coordinated manner, for the benefit, of course, of commercial interests, but also in the interest of freedom of circulation, which is a global principle, and finally for the benefit of our humanitarian objectives."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples