WRITTEN QUESTION P-0644/02 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. The Commission's views on the United States' international port security policy.
Date: 2002-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Union, International Labour Office, International Maritime Organisation, United States, container, economic consequence, harbour installation, international trade, safety standard

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/113

Reply

(25 June 2002)

The Council considers that it is not for it to give an opinion on the positions of private bodies such as that
referred to by the Honourable Member.

(2002/C 229 E/129)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0644/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 February 2002)

Subject: The Commission’s views on the United States’ international port security policy

The international port security measures which have been put forward by US Senator Hollings in the form
of a security proposal could have far-reaching consequences. The first ominous reports suggesting that a
mere ten ports would have the exclusive right
to supply goods to the USA and concerning the
exhaustiveness with which containers would have to be scanned at the external ports prove to have been
based mainly on rumours. Nonetheless, the US’s security measures will have a considerable impact on
European ports.

What will the Commission do to secure agreement among the Member States when this problem is
debated at the next meeting of the International Maritime Organisation? How will the Commission raise
the issue of potential unilateral, protectionist regulations in the light of the international trade agreements
concluded under the auspices of the WTO? What view does the Commission take of the possibility of an
increase in container scanning, and can it provide a comparative calculation of the time and expense
which will be involved in scanning each container?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(22 March 2002)

The US security measures would only be acceptable within the international framework of rules established
by the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) and the ILO (International Labour Organisation),
particularly as regards measures with extraterritorial
impact. International rules forbid the adoption of
unilateral measures that would affect trade

Working parties have been set up in international fora to study the issue of checks on containers and
persons and consider future regulatory action. The Member States and the Commission are currently
working with industry to reach a European consensus on these issues, as witness the recent session of a
special IMO working group.

(2002/C 229 E/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0649/02

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 March 2002)

Subject: Radioactive discharges

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) has said in its latest annual report, published in
January this year, that measured radioactive technetium-99 in seaweed from the Sellafield radioactive waste
and plutonium processing plant in England is 150 times worse in the north-east of Ireland than that found
in seaweed on the south and west coasts. RPII also reaffirmed that the discharge of radioactive waste from
Sellafield is still ‘the dominant source of contamination in the Irish marine environment.’ The report also
said the levels of technetium-99 are still considerably above pre-1994 levels and remain ‘a significant cause
of concern’.