Brussels, 21/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the EP adopted the report by Belgian Liberal Dirk Sterckx on the reinforcement of maritime safety, by a large majority. The report is the fruit of six months of work by the temporary committee set up after the oil tanker Prestige was shipwrecked of the coast of Galicia.
In its resolution, the Parliament criticised the decision by the Spanish authorities to tow the Prestige away from its coasts rather than taking it to a safe place. It calls upon them without delay to treat the thousands of tonnes of fuel oil still in the wreck and in the sea, and to present a precise timetable for the extraction and treatment of the waste, under the supervision of the European Commission, so that there is no infringement of Community waste legislation. It calls upon the Spanish legal authorities to allow the captain of the Prestige to return home to await trial, and to determine "with clarity" the date on which the trial will open. Lastly, it believes that the new financial perspectives should contain specific instruments for the fishing sector, and carry out scientific research into the environmental repercussions of the shipwreck of the Prestige.
In order to reinforce maritime safety at European level, the EP calls for the introduction and application of existing Community legislation and the development of a European sea policy, based on working out joint protocols for the prevention, action and repairs in case of disasters, setting up a liability regime the length of the maritime transport chain and on the part of State authorities with responsibility for maritime safety, improvement in the living, working and training conditions for seafarers. All of these measures should come under the third "maritime package", called Prestige. The EP calls for the creation of a European coastguard. It calls upon the Commission to followed the introduction of Community maritime provisions in the future Member States very closely, especially in Malta and Cyprus, and to continue talks with Russia on maritime safety. It feels that the European Maritime Safety Agency should be able to carry out inspections into ships without notice, and calls for its budget to be increased. The EP asks the Commission for a report on relations between European companies and flags of convenience (Greens/EFA amendment).
The EP rejected two amendments by the Greens/EFA: creation of a European civil protection body to react in case of maritime disaster (232 in favour, 236 against, 13 abstentions), and the establishment of a black list of flag States which do not comply with international maritime standards (flags of convenience).