E. noting that this law also creates conditions for the re-integration of about 7000 Albanian-speaking
students into FYROM’s official education system,
F. welcoming the fact that some countries have alreadypromised financial assistance for this project, and
calling on the other EU Member States to support this project as well,
G. welcoming the fact that FYROM has signed the Statute of the International Criminal Court, but regret-
ting that its Parliament has not yet ratified it,
1. Welcomes the adoption of a new law on higher education and universities bythe Parliament of
FYROM, since it represents an important political condition for the positive development of multiethnic
cooperation in FYROM as well as for the democratisation and stabilisation of the entire region;
2. Welcomes the courage which the Government and the majorityin FYROM’s Parliament have demon-
strated and pays tribute to the role which the OSCE’s High Representative for Minorities has played whendealing with this question;
3. Calls on all political forces in FYROM to accept the agreed compromise, for the benefit of multi-
ethnic cooperation in that country;
4. Calls on the Commission and Council to give top priorityto the success of this project, within the
framework of financial assistance to the Balkans;
5. Is of the opinion that successful multiethnic cooperation in FYROM maybe used as a model in the
region with a view to the promotion of the process of democratisation and stabilisation of all the countries
in south-east Europe;
6. Urges both FYROM and the Commission to do their utmost to ensure that the Association and
Stabilisation Agreement is dulysigned under the French Presidencybefore the end of the y ear;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Government
and Parliament of FYROM and to the OSCE’s High Representative for Minorities.
13. Sinking of Greek ferry ‘Samina’
B5-0783, 0787 and 0791/2000
European Parliament resolution on the sinking of the Greek ferry ‘Samina’
The European Parliament,
A. having regard to the sinking of the ‘Express Samina’, which occurred on the night of Tuesday, 26 Sep-
tember near the island of Paros in Greece and which has to date claimed 79 lives, in addition to anumber of missing persons,
B. having regard to the judicial inquiryinto the causes of the tragedywhich has alreadycommenced,
C. having regard to the exemptions granted to Greece in the maritime sector,
1. Expresses its deepest sympathy to and solidarity with the families of the deceased and the survivors
of the shipwreck and extends its gratitude to those involved in the rescue operation;C 178/288 EN 22.6.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 5 October 2000
2. Notes the statement of the Commission, which is awaiting the findings of the investigation into the
causes of the shipwreck, and calls on the Commission to ask the Greek authorities for all the informationtheyhave at their disposal concerning the reasons for and causes of the accident, and concerning confor-
mitywith Communitylaw of safetystandards on board the ‘Express Samina’;
3. Underlines the importance it attaches to the three Commission proposals regarding maritime safety,
especiallythose relating to passenger vessels, namelythe proposals on the classification societies and Port
State Control, and awaits a new set of proposals on this issue;
4. Awaits the evaluation bythe Commission of the effectiveness of the Stockholm Agreement and other
measures for improving the stabilityand safetyof passenger vessels;
5. Calls on the Commission to consider the possibilityof shortening the timetable set out in Directive
98/18/EC on safetyrules and standards for passenger ships, since these proposals on a few specific issueswill not be implemented until 2009; urges the Commission to review the exemptions granted to Member
States, including the exemptions from Directive 98/18/EC and from cabotage granted to Greece;
6. Stresses the need for full implementation of Directive 98/41/EC on the registration of persons sailing
on board passenger ships, together with more stringent rules regarding compulsorytraining for ships’crews in safetyand emergencyprocedures;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Greek Gov-
ernment.22.6.2001 EN C 178/289 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 5 October 2000