Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-23-Speech-2-316"
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"en.20080923.37.2-316"2
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Madam President, President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission firmly condemns the criminal acts regularly committed in some regions of the world against the interests of the EU Member States, both sea piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters subject to the jurisdiction of a state.
There is another question that is raised regarding this constant growth in piracy: do acts of piracy serve to fund international terrorism? This is a question that we must ask ourselves, and that we must seek to answer, even if today there is no proof that terrorism is funded through the payment of ransoms; there is nothing that would allow us to establish
that this is not a possibility. Thus, we are doubtful about rejecting the hypothesis, particularly in the light of the obvious links that exist between certain countries that provide refuge for pirates and the existence of concealed bases for terrorist groups.
The Commission will, however, launch an investigation into this subject, in order to improve its understanding of the financial flows linked to the phenomenon of piracy on the seas. We must never lower our guard in the fight against terrorism and therefore every suspicion, even if we cannot make
judgments, must be carefully assessed and we must take all appropriate steps to prevent terrorism from benefiting from the assistance and organisational and economic support of criminal organisations. This is why we will continue to work in harmony with all the Member States, with the Council and also with countries outside Europe that are particularly involved in combating piracy.
Acts of this kind affect not only maritime transport, but also fishing on the high seas and maritime tourism. Besides, these acts make living conditions yet more dangerous for sailors who already have to do their work under difficult conditions. Therefore, because we must not only condemn such acts, but must also take action, we must realise that there is a risk of regressing by hundreds of years to a situation of an organised presence of criminal networks and pirates operating in four main areas: the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa. The majority of crimes are committed in these areas, and the intensity and seriousness of the offences are constantly changing.
Furthermore, there is still a concern about developments and even about the expansion of piracy to other areas of the world, demonstrating, in fact, that these are not merely occasional incidents, but we are convinced that there is an organised network of criminals who wish to carry out scientific attacks on cargo ships, tourist vessels and passenger vessels.
Given that the European Community is a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, the European Commission has always undertaken to promote freedom of navigation in all its aspects and the development of appropriate instruments to prevent illegal acts against ships. In this context, the Commission has systematically backed the attempts by the Member States and the international community as a whole to draw up legislative instruments of high quality within the framework of the United Nations and its specialised body in the sector of maritime transport, which is the International Maritime Organization.
After the work last June in the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, which dealt in particular with the issue of the legal treatment of pirates when caught, efforts still continue with the current review of the IMO’s three legal instruments on the prevention of piracy and armed robbery against ships. The review is expected to be completed in December 2008.
Availing itself of its legislation on the safety of ships and port facilities, which incorporated into Community law the ISPS code, which is an IMO instrument, the European Community favours the promotion of these maritime safety standards by its international partners, and in particular by the Euro-Mediterranean partners through the Safemed II programme. In the same way, a high-level seminar on the issue is being prepared as part of the ASEAN Regional Forum under the co-presidency of the European Union and Indonesia. Cooperation with countries outside Europe is thus becoming particularly important.
In a similar conceptual sphere, the Commission is studying the possibility of using the stability instrument to support existing regional initiatives or ones that are being drawn up, backed by the International Maritime Organization, both in the area of the Straits of Malacca and in the Horn of Africa area, to promote the safety of maritime navigation in those areas that are of strategic significance for European interests and supplies.
I should also emphasise the continuing support for development granted by the European Community to countries neighbouring these at-risk areas, to improve their standard of living, which is an essential precondition for compliance with the rules of law. It is thus also vital in seeking to remove the workforce from criminal organisations, which can focus on the conditions of extreme poverty experienced by certain groups of people.
With regard to the repression of acts of piracy on the seas and of armed robbery against ships, the Commission is delighted at the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1816 on the repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, as well, of course, at the important step taken by the European Council, which adopted a detailed action plan at its meeting of 15 September 2008. Mr Bussereau has stressed what these initiatives are, and what commitments are being made by the European Union and the Member States, and we share and endorse these commitments."@en1
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