Strasbourg, 18/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - Following its rapporteur, Piuia-Noora Kauppi (EPP-ED, Finland) on the European Commission communication concerning the training and recruitment of seafarers, the European Parliament stressed that the responsibility for training actions in this sector should be shared between the EU, the Member States, the social partners and those responsible for education. Noting that the shortage of seafarers in the EU, who are generally well trained, will probably have negative repercussions on the safety of navigation, the number of accidents and marine pollution, the Parliament insists on the need for adequate initial vocational training and on "adjustment" and life-long learning. According to the Parliament, the Commission communication is an excellent summary of the current situation, but the Commission should carry out overall research with a view to tackling employment, education and the training of seafarers in the wider context of all possible professions in the maritime transport sector. In concrete terms, the plenary: - insists on measures to improve the attraction of maritime professions; - calls on shipowners to employ a larger number of EU sailors; - invites the European Parliament to declare that the directive on European works councils is fully applicable to seafarers and on the European Commission and Member States to accomplish this approach as soon as possible; - invites the Member States and the social partners to unreservedly use every possibility for financing maritime education and training through existing Community instruments (such as the European Social Fund, the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes, the new Community initiative, Equal, as well as the research programme).