Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-09-11-Speech-2-014-000"
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"en.20120911.4.2-014-000"2
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"Mr President, firstly, I would like to express my thanks to the rapporteur. We have recently enjoyed very constructive cooperation on this subject in particular. The result that we have before us today is a compromise, and it is in the nature of compromise that everyone is both satisfied and dissatisfied with it at the same time. Overall, it is a step in the right direction when it comes to the quality of marine fuels in the European Union. We have been making policy on air quality in other areas for years and, in my opinion, we often overshoot the mark and pass measures that are not particularly efficient. In this case, we are on the right track.
Nonetheless, I have certain objections here. In reaching agreement so quickly at first reading, we have disregarded some of the arguments and concerns of some players in Europe’s internal market. In 2015 at the latest, when it becomes compulsory to use what are, in fact, sulphur-free fuels in the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), which is essentially in the North Sea and the Baltic, there may be consequences of this legislation that can already be foreseen today but which, at the end of the day, we are completely ignoring. It cannot be in the interests of this legislation if more expensive fuel for goods transport by ferry in the North Sea and Baltic results in goods vehicles turning around at the ferry ports and going by road instead, where this is a possible alternative to short sea crossings. We have given no thought to that, and it was not considered when the Marpol Convention was concluded either. We have simply disregarded this argument. Consequently, I fear that we will have to look at this situation again in the northern regions in two years’ time.
I think it is important to harmonise things in Europe, but we also have to be clear that this cannot happen at the very highest level. I can quite understand some of the arguments from southern Member States, particularly those bordering the Mediterranean, which are dubious about this idea and feel that they have other priorities than the introduction of sulphur-free fuel. It costs money, and you can only ever spend your budget resources once. Consequently, I see this as a step in the right direction but, in the end, unequal competition within the EU has been written into the legislation here.
My final point is that compensating Northern Europeans for their hardships by means of State aid cannot be the way to go since, in the end, this would distort competition between the countries of Northern Europe. Some countries will pay, while others will not."@en1
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