16.8.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 215/9 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Amended proposal for a Council Directive of 20 July 1984 on the drawing up of 
contingency plans to combat accidental spills of oil and other harmful substances at sea 
COM(84) 433 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council pursuant to the second paragraph of 
Article 149 of the EEC Treaty on 2 August 1984) 
(84/C 215/09) 
ORIGINAL TEXT AMENDED TEXT 
Council Directive on the drawing up of contingency 
plans to combat accidental oil spills at sea 
Whereas the existence of national contingency plans 
in each Member State would help to speed up and 
improve operations to combat accidental oil spills at 
sea and thus make them more effective; 
Whereas several Member States may have a common 
interest in certain maritime areas exposed to pollution 
by accidental oil spills and may therefore be called on 
to take joint action to combat such pollution should 
accidents occur; 
Whereas even in the absence of such joint 
contingency plans each Member State should warn 
any others at risk as a result of an accident or the 
presence of an oil slick; 
Whereas the obligations imposed by this Directive are 
compatible with those incumbent on certain Member 
States, which are Contracting Parties to the 
Agreement for Cooperation in dealing with Pollution 
of the North Sea by Oil (the 1969 Bonn Agreement), 
to the Convention on the Protection of the Council Directive on the drawing up of contingency 
plans to combat accidental spills of oil and other 
harmful substances at sea 
Whereas the existence of national contingency plans 
in each Member State would help to speed up and 
improve operations to combat accidental spills of oil 
and other harmful substances at sea and thus make 
them more effective; 
Whereas several Member States may have a common 
interest in certain maritime areas exposed to pollution 
by accidental spills of oil and other harmful substances 
and may therefore be called on to take joint action to 
combat such pollution should accidents occur; 
Whereas even in the absence of such joint 
contingency plans each Member States should warn 
any others at risk as a result of an accident or the 
presence of an oil slick or other harmful substance; 
Whereas the obligations imposed by this Directive are 
compatible with those incumbent on certain Member 
States, which are Contracting Parties to the 
Agreement for Cooperation in dealing with Pollution 
of the North sea by Oil and other harmful substances 
(the 1969 Bonn Agreement, extended to include other Preamble and first three recitals unchanged 
Fifth and sixth recitals unchanged 
Eighth recital unchanged 
Tenth and eleventh recitals unchanged 
No C 215/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 8. 84 
ORIGINAL TEXT 
Mediterranean Sea against Pollution (1976, Barcelona 
Convention) and to the Convention on the Protection 
of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area 
(1974, Helsinki Convention); 
Whereas contingency plans must be drawn up in 
order to achieve one of the Community's objectives in 
respect of the control and reduction of pollution 
caused by hydrocarbons discharged at sea; whereas 
since the Treaty has not provided the powers 
necessary for action to this effect, recourse must be 
had to Article 235 of the Treaty; 
Article 1 
1. Member States shall take such measures as are 
necessary and appropriate in order to draw up 
national contingency plans making it possible to 
organize and direct operations to combat pollution 
caused by accidental oil spills at sea. 
Paragraphs 2 
Article 2 
1. In order to organize and reinforce operations to 
combat pollution caused by accidental oil spills at sea 
in maritime areas in which two or more Member 
States have a common interest, the States concerned 
shall draw up the necessary joint contingency plans. 
These plans shall specify in particular: 
— the areas in which they apply; 
— the authority which has been designed in each 
Member State to coordinate the joint action; 
— the principles, procedures and methods of 
cooperation to be employed to combat pollution. 
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, whenever a 
Member State has knowledge of an accident or the 
presence of an oil slick in maritime areas of common 
interest which constitutes a threat to the shoreline or 
allied interests of one ore more Member States, it 
shall inform the other Member State or Member 
States concerned without delay. 
Articles 3 t 
Annexes AMENDED TEXT 
harmful substances on 13 September 1983) to the 
Convention on the Protection of the Mediterranean 
Sea against Pollution (1976, Barcelona Convention) 
and to the Convention on the Protection of the 
Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (1974 
Helsinki Convention). 
Whereas no additional obligations arise from this 
Directive for those Member States which have taken 
measures, under the abovementioned Agreement and 
Conventions, equivalent to the provisions of this 
Directive. 
Whereas contingency plans must be drawn up in 
order to achieve one of the Community's objectives in 
respect of the control and reduction of pollution 
caused by hydrocarbons and other harmful substances 
discharged at sea; whereas the Treaty has not 
provided the powers necessary for action to this 
effect; 
Article 1 
1. Member States shall take such measures as are 
necessary and appropriate in order to draw up 
national contingency plans making it possible to 
organize and direct operations to combat pollution 
caused by accidental spills of oil and other harmful 
substances at sea. 
and 3 unchanged 
Article 2 
1. In order to organize and reinforce operations to 
combat pollution caused by accidental spills of oil and 
other harmful substances at sea in maritime areas in 
which two or more Member States have a common 
interest, the States concerned shall draw up the 
necessary joint contingency plans. These plans shall 
specify in particular: 
— the areas in which they apply; 
— the authority which has been designed in each 
Member State to coordinate the joint action; 
— the principles, procedures and methods of 
cooperation to be employed to combat pollution. 
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, whenever a 
Member State has knowledge of an accident or the 
presence of an oil slick or other harmful substance in 
maritime areas of common interest which constitutes 
a threat to the shoreline or allied interests of one or 
more other Member States, it shall inform the other 
Member State or Member States concerned without 
delay. 
o 6 unchanged, 
unchanged.