Brussels, 03/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - Following a new accident on Wednesday night, when the Turkish tanker "Vicky" (transporting 70,000 tonnes of kerosene) collides with the sunken carrier Tricolor (a Norwegian ship that sank off the French coast on 15 December), President Chirac and Romano Prodi discussed the issue of maritime safety on Thursday. The French President and the President of the European Commission agreed on the need to clarify legal responsibility for maritime accidents and Romano Prodi announced new Commission proposals on the question of responsibility. Prodi underlined the Commission's commitment to present further proposals aimed at strengthening maritime safety at the beginning of 2003 (see Europe of 20 December, p.11, and 21 December, p.10, on the Commission's adoption of Loyola de Palacio's proposal to phase out single-hull tankers).
In Athens, the Greek Merchant Marine and Transport Minister George Anomeritis said that the top priorities of the Greek EU Presidency included maritime security, according to the Greek press agency ANA. On the occasion of the European Commission meeting in Athens on 10 January, Anomeritis will meet Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio and Internal Affairs Commissioner Antonio Vitorino to discuss shipping safety in general and the more specific problem of immigration, reports ANA. On 8 January, explains ANA, a measures for the protection of maritime transportation and ports from terrorism and other "illegal actions" will be on the agenda of a meeting between the Greek Foreign Affairs and Merchant Marine and Transport Ministers.