Mr President, the shipwreck of the Erika off the coast of Brittany on 12 December caused an oil slick whose effects on the environment will be felt for years. In addition to destroying natural resources, this accident has had a serious impact on certain economic sectors, particularly those dependent on fisheries. With 20 000 tonnes of crude oil left in the holds of the sunken vessel, the situation could still deteriorate. The consequences of this accident have been disastrous for the aquaculture and ostreiculture sectors which were defenceless against the pollution that could not be prevented from coming ashore. These consequences not only stem from the pollution which occurred immediately after the accident but also the subsequent loss of market share and the rejection by the consumer of a fully guaranteed product which is now affected by the pollution itself. The regions affected are outlying ones with an unstable economic balance. They have been profoundly affected by this oil slick which, unfortunately, is not an isolated event. The main resources of these and neighbouring regions are those granted by nature, which is nowadays too often being punished by man’s activities. These events could be prevented with more care and control by the public authorities. Prevention is better than cure or so the saying goes. Surely the budget would agree, as prevention is much cheaper than the cost of disasters like these. Mr Fischler says that he always comes to the House when asked. Yet on the issue of the Erika he has given the impression, perhaps not to us but certainly to the inhabitants of Brittany and the Vendée, that, as the Fisheries Commissioner, he is not always available or, at best, available only on a part-time basis. As this House indicated in its first resolution on 20 January, the needs of the severely affected fisheries, ostreiculture and tourism industries must be taken into account. We therefore now call upon the Commission to urgently adopt measures to help the fisheries sector by means of special funds. Galicia and Brittany now have the common ground of having suffered from oil slicks. We cannot understand how it is that experiences like the Urquiola or Amoco Cadiz have not served to reinforce legislation on maritime transport in terms of both controlling safety in the movement of dangerous goods and flags of convenience. Please let this be the last disaster of its type and let us learn all possible lessons from this. We must urgently amend our legislation and close the loopholes which keep allowing these terrible disasters to happen. The polluter pays principle is both necessary and appropriate. It is time that polluters started to pay because, up to now, it has been those affected and taxpayers who have paid, and they have not just paid but cleaned up the affected areas as well. I am therefore delighted at Mr Fischler’s response, particularly his recognition of the need to apply retroactive measures and to give a rapid response to the applications submitted. On behalf of the Group, I want to send a message of solidarity to those affected, to the fishermen, farmers and businesspeople who enable the products of the sea to be regularly brought to market. My message of solidarity also goes out to the mayors and politicians, to the volunteers who have worked to clean the affected areas and to all those who deserve our full support.

Political group: PSE