Brussels, 21/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament did not hesitate in using the first European Day of the Sea on Tuesday 20 May to request ambitious measures for the Union's future integrated maritime policy. Very few amendments were made to Willi Pecyk's (PES, Germany) report adopted during the transport committee (EUROPE 9639).
The EP declares that the Union's exceptional marine dimension conferred by its coastlines and outermost regions offers unique opportunities as regards innovation, research, the environment and biodiversity, “which must be taken into account”. It supports the Commission's aim of exploiting the potential represented by maritime cabotage and inland river ways between member states; to speed up the preparation of proposals to create a common maritime zone. MEPs also welcome the project for promoting increased cooperation between member state coastguards.
The EP supports the European Council's directive of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2050. Maritime policy could help towards this aim, particularly by including new less polluting ship propulsion technologies. In this context, it calls on the Commission to be more ambitious in the fight against sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions and solid waste from ships. Joe Borg, the European commissioner, declared at the end of the debate that: “Many speakers raised the point that we have not gone far enough in our proposals and that we could and should have been even more ambitious. I take these comments as a sign of your real conviction that this policy is one that will be a success and will make a significant difference to the millions of European Union citizens and stakeholders that are affected by our oceans”. (L.C.)