WRITTEN QUESTION E-2235/03 by Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE) to the Commission. Establishing responsibility within the EU for the issue of seaman's books.
Date: 2003-07-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: International Maritime Organisation, approximation of laws, drafting of EU law, identity document, maritime transport, single market, transport document, transport regulations

C 58 E/146

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2003)

On 14/15 March 2002 the Ecofin and European Council decided to establish an investment Facility with
the aim of enhancing European Investment Bank (EIB) operations in Mediterranean Partner Countries, with
the clear priority of private sector development. They also decided to examine one year after the creation
of the Facility whether to incorporate it into an EIB majority-owned subsidiary.

The Facility was established in Autumn 2002 and the decision on whether to create an EIB majority-
owned subsidiary is now expected to be taken in Autumn 2003 by the Council,
in liaison with the
Commission and the EIB and after consultations with Mediterranean Partner Countries. Should a decision
to create a subsidiary be taken, its location will have to be chosen.

The Commission appreciates the Honourable Member’s interest in this matter and in the location of such a
bank in Sicily. While it is at this stage premature to enter into such considerations, the choice of the host
country and region would obviously be carefully examined in due course, taking into account the
respective advantages of each possible location.

(2004/C 58 E/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2235/03

by Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE) to the Commission

(7 July 2003)

Subject: Establishing responsibility within the EU for the issue of seaman’s books

It is still necessary for seafarers to have what is known as a seaman’s book, in order to provide a record of
the time at sea and the holder’s identity.

Freedom of movement within the European Union has made it possible for people to pursue a profession
throughout the EU unhindered.

Difficulties arise when it comes to ascertaining which authority is responsible for issuing this document.
The Member States of the European Union have no uniform approach regarding competence in this area.
They have different criteria concerning the conditions for issuing the document.

According to the regulations applicable in Denmark, their authorities are only responsible when the
applicant is a Danish citizen. In Germany, the law states that seafarers must sail under the German flag.
This appears to create problems.

The IMO (International Maritime Organisation)
should be determined. No conclusion has yet been reached.

is currently discussing how responsibility in this area

In the light of this, can the Commission answer the following questions:

1. What stage have the IMO negotiations reached?

2. When can we expect an international regulation?

3. Does the Commission believe that the regulations in force in the EU Member States are compatible

with the fundamental freedoms of the internal market?

4.

Is the Commission considering introducing a standard European regulation until such time as an IMO
regulation is enacted?

6.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/147

Answer given by Ms de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(9 September 2003)

According to the information available to the Commission, the International Maritime Organisation has
not dealt with the question of the seaman’s book, the competence of the national authorities issuing the
book or the conditions of issue.

However, the subject has to some extent been dealt with by the International Labour Organisation under
Convention No 108 on seafarers’
identity documents, adopted in 1958. This Convention gives the
contracting parties a certain margin for manoeuvre, regarding both the content of the identity document
and the persons eligible to hold it, and has served as the basis for a seaman’s book in several countries.
Apart from the information concerning the holder, it appears that, in practice, the content of the book
varies depending on the applicable national provisions. It may or may not contain details of periods of
service at sea or periods of training on board.

Convention No 108 was recently revised by Convention No 185, adopted by the International Labour
Organisation on 19 June 2003. The new Convention specifies the content and form of the seafarers’
identity document, and minimum requirements concerning the processes and procedures for issuing it. It
introduces a more stringent system for identifying seamen, in order to facilitate their movements and with
a view to preventing acts of terrorism. The Commission will assess to what extent the new Convention will
remove any obstacles to the basic freedoms of the internal market.

As the seaman’s book is not explicitly provided for in any international or Community regulations,
practices and procedures regarding the content and use of the document, and provisions relating to its
issue, may vary from one Member State to another. The Commission does not have any information on
the applicable national rules.

At this stage the Commission is not planning to draw up a legislative proposal on the seaman’s book. It
will consider whether there is a need for Community legislation which incorporates the requirements of
the ILO Convention into Community law.

(2004/C 58 E/162)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2247/03

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 July 2003)

Subject:

‘One-stop shop’ for European Union aid and subsidies

The possibility of obtaining aid or subsidies from the European Union shimmers like a mirage which many
Europeans, as private individuals or professionals, would like to see converted into reality to give a final
boost to a budding project or a project recently embarked upon.

Very often, for want of the expertise and resolve needed to pinpoint the Community aid or subsidy most
suited to their project needs, they fail to make their application, dumbstruck by a plethora of information.

Could the European Commission therefore indicate whether it would not consider it appropriate to
introduce a Community ‘one-stop shop’, responsible for pointing to the aid or subsidy, the procedure and
the channel best suited to the applicant’s needs, to enable EU citizens (cid:1) be they private individuals,
professionals or enterprises (cid:1) to apply for the aid or subsidy they need.