Brussels, 28/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - An informal trialogue agreement was reached during the evening of 26 June on the draft revision of the regulation relating to the dismantling of old ships registered in Europe in order to ensure that, in future, this is done only in facilities that are not only safe for the workers but also environmentally rational, and that the substances on board each EU ship are identified so that they receive appropriate processing around the world. The aim is to more effectively combat the beaching or negligent dismantling of old ships in developing countries. The agreement, endorsed by the EU27 ambassadors (Coreper), was hailed by the outgoing Irish Presidency of the EU Council as it paves the way for a formal first reading agreement on the future regulation, under Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council.
According to the terms of the compromise reached, the regulation will establish a European list of suitable recycling facilities and will ensure that all dangerous substances contained in the ships will be correctly managed throughout the recycling process in order to prevent a negative impact on the environment and on workers' health. The Council agreed that all the ships - including those that only stop over or moor in an EU member state, should be under an obligation to fill in an inventory of dangerous substances.
Phil Hogan, the outgoing president of the EU Environment Council, said that, hitherto, EU ships were generally dismantled and recycled in third country sites that do not comply with worker safety and environmental protection standards. However, from the entry into force of this regulation, he said, this practice should stop for ships flying the EU flag. He trusts that the new regulation will inject some impetus to speedy ratification of the Hong Kong Convention on the recycling of ships, which was adopted in 2009.
MEP Carl Schlyter (Greens/EFA, Sweden), who is the rapporteur conducting negotiations on behalf of the Parliament, welcomed the fact that this future legislation will finally put an end to the negligent grounding of European ships that are at the end of their commercial life, most of which are sent to developing countries, mainly to South-East Asia. He went on to point out: “This is not an attack against India, Bangladesh or Pakistan - the countries that currently practise beaching - but against the dangerous and highly polluting practice of beaching”. MEP Mathias Groote (S&D, Germany) acknowledges that the parliamentary committee on the environment under his chairmanship had shown itself to be more ambitious by upholding the idea of a demolition fund, not contained in the compromise. Nonetheless, he says, the agreement is satisfactory as the essential points were obtained.
A coalition of NGOs from the platform on the dismantling of ships and the European Environment Bureau (EEB) nonetheless warns that the regulation will not change very much as they fear that, at the end of the day, the regulation will only apply to a very small number of ships. Unless economic incentives are rapidly introduced for all ships docking in EU ports, the legislation will continue to be circumvented and to fuel scandals linked to serious pollution of coastal areas and to the exploitation of vulnerable workers in developing countries. The law, they say, will continue to be circumvented. During the plenary session vote, in April this year, the creation of a demolition fund - a financial incentive mechanism that would have made recycling more competitive - was rejected by the European Parliament (by a very slim majority) to the great disappointment of the rapporteur and the environmental NGOs (see EUROPE 10831).
The informal EP-Council political agreement has still to be approved by the European Parliament. The vote of approval is due to be held at the parliamentary committee on the environment before the summer break, prior to the formal conclusion of the agreement in first reading of the plenary session, this autumn. (AN/transl.jl)