Brussels, 10/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 6 June, the Council adopted, without debate, six common positions on five legislative proposals from the third maritime package (EUROPE 9074). This procedural decision will allow the European Parliament to work on the whole of the package and not just on a single proposal for launching the majority of texts in view of their examination in the second reading next September. The common positions involve the drafts for: the directive on the vessel traffic monitoring and information system (EUROPE 9207); the directive establishing common standards for investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector (EUROPE 9442); the directive on port state control; the regulation on liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents; and the directive on ship inspection and survey organisations. The Council confirmed that in connection with the latter, it had confirmed the separation of this proposal into distinct legal acts (a directive including relations between member states and these bodies and a regulation containing provisions on Community level consent (EUROPE 9555). The last two proposals in the package (the directive on the country's flag and the directive on civil liability of ship-owners), which did not gain the unanimity of member states during last April's Transport Council (EUROPE 9638) will probably be discussed under the French Presidency in the second half of 2008. (A.By/transl. rh)