WRITTEN QUESTION E-3545/02 by Michel-Ange Scarbonchi (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Creation of a fleet of European coastguard ships.
Date: 2002-12-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: environmental protection, maritime safety, maritime surveillance, maritime transport, pollution control measures, pollution from ships, prevention of pollution

7.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/39

According to available information it is not possible to prove that the project to build a golf course could
have a significant effect on the Natura 2000 site.

Only in the event that the project could have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site, provisions of
article 6 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC (3) of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of
wild fauna and flora apply.

As far as the request for possible Community funding through the European Regional Development Fund
is concerned, the Commission informs the Honourable Member that it has no information on the
individual projects selected by Member States.

In conclusion, the Commission has no information regarding this project. Given that it has not been
possible to identify the exact location foreseen for this leisure infrastructure, the Commission will request
further information from the Spanish authorities especially in relation to the effect that the project could
have on the Natura 2000 site as well as concerning its possible Community funding.

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(3) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2003/C 268 E/044)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3545/02

by Michel-Ange Scarbonchi (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Creation of a fleet of European coastguard ships

(11 December 2002)

After the sinking of the ‘Erika’, the ‘Prestige’ oil spill on 19 November 2002 off the coast of Galicia, Spain
has shown us the serious inadequacies in the control and monitoring of ships at sea.

The Commission must act as quickly as possible in the face of environmental disasters like these. The
decision taken at the Franco-Spanish Summit in Malaga,
in accordance with Article 56 of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to limit access for the most dangerous oil tankers to the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ), less than 200 nautical miles (360 km) from the coast, gives cause for
hope.

the crisis that an oil spill presents for those affected,

However,
for the local communities and its
consequences for the environment and sectors of the economy such as fishing and tourism, requires that
new rules concerning the transport of high-risk goods, as well as new monitoring measures, are drawn up
on a European scale.

The precautionary principle means that the setting up of a European police force of the seas must now be
considered. The creation of a fleet of European coastguard ships would allow maritime law to be enforced
more effectively.

There are many arguments in favour of a new administrative body, which could be placed under the
control of the European Parliament and under the responsibility of the maritime authorities of the Member
States. On the eve of the next enlargement of the European Union, this would send a strong message in
favour of a Europe of the sea. What is the Commission’s view on this?

Is the Commission willing to make proposals that would serve as a common basis for a European
campaign for safety at sea, with emphasis on the strict monitoring of the ships in circulation?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2003)

On 3 December 2002, the Commission presented a communication on the action to be taken following
the sinking of the tanker ‘Prestige’ (1). On 6 and 9 December 2002, the Council adopted conclusions
supporting the Commission moves to prevent any repetition of that type of catastrophe and combat the
consequences.

C 268 E/40

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

7.11.2003

Maritime safety was included on the agenda of the European Council in Copenhagen, the conclusions of
which emphasise that ‘The Union is determined to take all necessary measures to avoid a repetition of
similar catastrophes and welcomes the rapid responses by the Council and the Commission’ and that ‘The
European Council welcomes the action undertaken by the Commission to confront the economic, social
and environmental consequences derived from the wreck of the “Prestige”, in the framework of the present
financial perspectives and its intention to examine the need for further specific measures. Amongst these
measures, questions relating to liability and the corresponding sanctions will also be examined.’

The Commission is aware of certain weaknesses in the procedures implemented by maritime authorities in
the Member States. With regard to port State control (2), the Commission has reminded Member States of
their obligations. The Commission has demanded the immediate recruitment of sufficient inspectors to
check at least 25 % of ships, as required under current European legislation.

In this context, the Commission has already had occasion to question the low percentage of checks carried
out by certain Member States or certain ports. It has also brought cases against France and Ireland before
the Court of Justice, for failure to attain the threshold of 25 %.

The Commission considers that, in the light of recent events, there is a legitimate argument for creating a
fleet of European coastguard ships as a means of effectively countering the risks of pollution and ensuring
maritime safety.

The principal task of the European Maritime Safety Agency, established under Regulation (EC) No 1406/
2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2002 (3), which is due to become
operational in the next few months, will be the technical coordination of the application of Community
law. The aim is for the Agency’s mandate to be extended as circumstances require.

In particular, the organisation will have to play a major role in strengthening cooperation between
coastguard authorities in Member States on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution. The question
whether the creation of a fleet of European coastguard ships should be the next step must be examined in
the light of experience gained by the Agency, and assessed by all the parties concerned.

(1) COM(2002) 681 final.
(2) Council Directive 95/21/EC 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), OJ L 157, 7.7.1995.

(3) OJ L 208, 5.8.2002.

(2003/C 268 E/045)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3617/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 December 2002)

Subject: Promoting alternatives on a European scale to poor integration between population groups and

the emergence of mutually exclusive social environments

Is the Commission aware that, as a consequence of decolonisation and the requirements of the labour
1.
market,
large numbers of persons of non-European origin have, over the last few decades, settled in
particular in the inner-city areas of Member States like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the
Netherlands and Belgium? Is it aware that those new-arrivals have grown up with languages, cultures or
religions other than those that had been prevalent before they settled into their new living and working
environment, and that the need for such new-arrivals to become integrated had long failed to receive the
attention it deserved because governments, businesses, educational
institutions and landlords had alike
assumed that their presence would only be temporary?

2.
Is the Commission further aware that the state of affairs referred to in question 1 above has
meanwhile led to the emergence of schools attended and residential areas inhabited by a very high
percentage of new-arrivals, alongside schools and residential areas where new-arrivals are almost unknown,
as well as to inadequate knowledge of the local language and customs on the part of first-generation new-
arrivals, to high unemployment among the groups of new-arrivals concerned at a time when the economy