Luxembourg, 11/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Transport Council reached a general orientation on the proposed directive to reinforce safety in European ports, in Luxembourg on Friday. Pending the European Parliament's first reading, the 25 Transport Ministers of the European Union agreed on a compromise by the Irish Presidency. They also called upon the next Presidency, that of the Netherlands, to contact the Parliament in order to conclude an agreement on the text at first reading.
The proposal, which was presented in February 2004, aims to complete the regulation on the safety of ships and port installations, which was adopted on 31 March 2004. It obliges the national authorities to assess the safety of each port on the territory of a Member State, to establish a safety plan describing all the measures taken, to appoint a port safety agent to co-ordinate safety measures, and to appoint a safety authority to oversee the safety measures.
Member States approved all points contained within the Presidency compromise, which provides notably for the organisation of passenger check to take place prior to embarkation (this point was criticised by Greece). The text also provides for Member States to be responsible for setting up a system to oversee safety measures and the directive's implementation. The Council decided unanimously to limit Community competency, to the benefit of subsidiarity.