WRITTEN QUESTION P-2862/99

by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission

(7 January 2000)

Subject: Erika shipwreck

We cannot fail to express concern at the latest oil disaster which once again has struck the French coast. It is in fact our duty to provide citizens of the European Union with satisfactory answers.

Just as the Amoco Cadiz triggered off a reaction which led to the adoption of rules to prevent marine pollution, the Erika disaster should encourage us to look more closely at international sea safety standards, as well as the effectiveness of such standards and their actual implementation.

Many texts have been adopted by the European Union in this field (Council Directive 93/75/EEC(1) of 13 September 1993 concerning minimum requirements for vessels bound for or leaving Community ports and carrying dangerous or polluting goods, Council Directive 94/57/EC(2) of 22 November 1994 on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations and Council Directive 95/21/EC(3) of 19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State control).

This legislation is intended to reduce the number of substandard vessels operating in Community waters and to improve human safety at sea and protection of the marine environment. However, it is inadequate since it cannot actually prevent substandard vessels from sailing in Community waters.

Does the Commission plan to propose more stringent rules in this area and to encourage international organisations to take a firmer line or even to ban vessels which do not comply with standards?

(1) OJ L 247, 5.10.1993, p. 19.

(2) OJ L 319, 12.12.1994, p. 20.

(3) OJ L 157, 7.7.1995, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(26 January 2000)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's concern as regards the tragic outcome of the accident involving the vessel Erika off the Breton coast.

Quite clearly the Commission hopes that the enquiry will bring to light all of the actual causes of the accident and who is responsible for this.

However, that shipwreck has already revealed certain shortcomings in applying the international and Community rules on safety and the prevention of pollution. The Commission feels that the time has come to begin to think deeply about the means of more effectively protecting Europe's coastline against accident hazards.

This is why the Commission has begun to prepare a communication on safety at sea and the responsibility of the flag and port states and of the industry, which should be debated within Parliament and the Council under the French presidency. The Commission intends to use that document to introduce a certain number of ideas and to suggest practical action, including tighter checking of hazardous vessels in Community ports and closer monitoring of the activities of the classification societies; examining the scope for banning access to Community ports by single-hull oil tankers beyond a certain date, following examples set by the United States; assigning greater responsibility to cargo owners in the event of serious pollution (those options are still to be explored, from voluntary commitment by the industry up to the adoption of binding Community legislation); and the setting-up of a database enabling all maritime-industry

operators and the public authorities to obtain a precise picture, in real time, of ship quality (this being the Equasis database which is currently being developed in close cooperation between the Commission and the French maritime authorities).