WRITTEN QUESTION E-3761/02 by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Spanish proposal to the UN.
Date: 2002-12-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, UN General Assembly, UN convention, access to information, law of the sea, maritime safety, parliamentary session, prevention of pollution, technical regulations, vessel

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/87

When the ERIKA I and II packages were finalised, the Fifteen approved the principle of a political
commitment by the EU Member States to apply the measures they contained immediately, before the
directives were transposed. What means is the Council prepared to employ to ensure that this actually
happens?

It appears from initial enquiries that the Prestige had set off from Saint Petersburg and was bound for
Singapore. It is therefore not solely a European responsibility to ensure that the principles of maritime
safety are observed, and local action should not preclude global action. Is the Council
in favour of
convening an urgent meeting with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in order to put in place
the preconditions for legislation at world level?

What is the Council’s position with regard to a strategy modelled on ‘closer cooperation’ between some
Member States with regard to safety at sea? Would the Council be prepared to accept that a requirement
for double-hull vessels be immediately applicable in some particularly sensitive maritime areas, such as the
Mediterranean?

(2003/C 222 E/104)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3761/02

by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(23 December 2002)

Subject: Spanish proposal to the UN

Articles in the press report that Spain proposes to submit a proposal to the UN General Assembly under
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to amend the provisions governing safety on vessels
and the prevention of pollution of the sea. In particular, the Spanish proposal calls for a shorter phasing-
out period for single-hull tankers.

Has Spain put forward a similar point of view in the Council and, if so, does it reflect the unanimous view
of the Member States?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3563/02, E-3581/02, E-3582/02, E-3583/02,
E-3584/02, E-3587/02, E-3589/02, E-3625/02 and E-3761/02

(5 and 6 May 2003)

The Council would refer the Honourable Members to the declaration made by the Presidency on behalf of
the Council on all the points raised in their questions during the plenary session of the European
Parliament in December 2002, and to its replies to Questions H-833/02, H-839/02, H-847/02 and H-871/
02 put by Messrs Josu Ortuondo Larrea, Manuel Medina Ortega, Camilo Nogueira Román and John
Cushnahan respectively at Question Time on 15 January 2003 in Strasbourg.

(2003/C 222 E/105)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3569/02

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(12 December 2002)

Subject: Situation regarding unsafe nuclear reactors in the applicant countries

The Council’s working group on nuclear safety is in the process of assessing the safety of nuclear plants in
the applicant countries. As late as the summer of 2001, this working group published a list of several
safety problems at the nuclear plants at Temelin in the Czech Republic and Paks in Hungary, for example.