Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, to the European Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions - Cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution after 2007
Date: 2006-12-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Maritime Safety Agency, civil defence, environmental protection, marine pollution, pollution control measures, pollution from ships

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 22.12.2006 
COM(2006) 863 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, TO THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution after 2007 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, TO THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution after 2007 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The actions taken by the Community in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution 
since 1978 have made it possible progressively to develop cooperation between the Member 
States and the Commission. 

The  Community  framework  for  cooperation  in  the  field  of  accidental  or  deliberate  marine 
pollution1,  which  draws  on  previous  experience,  was  established  in  2000  by  Decision  No 
2850/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. It made it possible to simplify 
the  measures  already  adopted  while  at  the  same  time  making  them  more  consistent,  by 
integrating them into a single framework for cooperation covering the period 1 January 2000 
to 31 December 2006. 

Preparedness and response to marine pollution are based on three pillars: the development of 
preparedness  actions,  a  Community  information  system  to  facilitate  the  exchange  of 
information  between  Member  States,  and  improving  the  response  via  the  Community  civil 
protection mechanism2. 

Since its establishment, the Community framework for cooperation has been a unique forum 
for  the  exchange  of  good  practice  between  Member  States,  contributing  to  a  marked 
improvement  in  the  preparedness  of  officials  and  actors  in  the  fight  against  accidental  or 
deliberate marine pollution in the Member States. 

Today,  20  Member  States,  together  with  Norway  and  Iceland,  play  an  active  role  in  the 
Community framework for cooperation.  

Since  2001,  there  have  been  new  developments  at  Community  level  in  terms  of  marine 
pollution  prevention,  preparedness  and  response,  most  notably  the  establishment  of  the 
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)3.  

1 

2 

3 

Decision  No  2850/2000/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  December  2000 
setting  up  a  Community  framework  for  cooperation  in  the  field  of  accidental  or  deliberate  marine 
pollution 
Council  Decision  2001/792/EC  establishing  a  Community  mechanism  to  facilitate  reinforced 
cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1406/2002  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  June  2002 
establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
This  Communication  presents  the  current  state  of  Community  action  in  terms  of  marine 
pollution  preparedness  and  response,  and  indicates  how  this  will  be  followed  up  and 
developed from 2007 after the expiry of the Community framework for cooperation.  

2. 

CURRENT STATE OF COMMUNITY  ACTION  IN  TERMS OF THE RESPONSE TO MARINE 
POLLUTION 

The  Community  framework  for  cooperation  in  the  field  of  accidental  or 

2.1 
deliberate marine pollution 

The  Community  framework  for  cooperation  in  the  field  of  accidental  or  deliberate  marine 
pollution, established in December 2000, is to a large extent based on previous experience in 
the field at Community level since 1978.  

The  purpose  of  the  Community  framework,  based  on  Article  175  of  the  Treaty  establishing 
the European Community, is to support and supplement the efforts of the Member States to 
protect the marine environment, coastlines and human health against the risks of accidental or 
deliberate  pollution  at  sea,  but  excluding  continuous  streams  of  pollution  originating  from 
land-based sources. It concerns both accidental and deliberate pollution, whether it originates 
from  ships,  off-shore  platforms,  coastlines  or  estuaries,  and  includes  discharges  of  harmful 
substances  into  the  marine  environment,  including  substances  linked  to  the  presence  of 
dumped materials such as munitions.  

More  specifically,  the  Community  framework  for  cooperation  aims  to  contribute  to  and 
improve the capacity of Member States to intervene in the event of the spillage or imminent 
threat  of  spillage  of  oil  or  other  harmful  substances  into  the  sea.  It  also  contributes  to  risk 
prevention  and  aims  to  improve  the  conditions  for  effective  mutual  assistance  between  the 
Member States. Lastly, it is designed to promote cooperation between Member States in order 
to provide for compensation for damage in accordance with the polluter-pays principle. 

The framework for cooperation is implemented via an annual action plan based in particular 
on the priorities drawn up each year together with the Member States. Actions may take the 
form  of  courses  and  seminars,  exchanges  of  experts,  exercises,  or  pilot  projects  intended  to 
hone intervention and clean-up techniques and methods. Actions intended to assess the impact 
of an incident on the environment, or to learn from interventions in response to an accident 
have also been organised. The budget allocated for these actions was fixed initially at EUR 7 
million for the period 2000-06.  

In 2003, Parliament, recognising the importance of the Community framework, adjusted the 
reference amounts in order to take into account the enlargement of the EU. The budget was 
raised to EUR 12.6 million for the period.  

The  Community  framework  for  cooperation  also  put  in  place  a  Community  information 
system (CIS) on the Commission's internet site with a view to exchanging data between the 
Member  States  on  intervention  capacity  and  measures  taken  in  the  event  of  accidental  or 
deliberate  marine  pollution.  The  Community  information  system  includes  a  Community 
homepage and, on the national homepages, information on intervention methods available at 
the national level.  

The  Commission  is  assisted  by  a  management  committee,  the  MCMP  -  Management 
Committee  for  Marine  Pollution,  which  brings  together  experts  from  the  administrations  of 
the Member States (in the environmental, transport and coastguard fields). Aside from voting 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
on the annual priorities, the management committee acts as a unique European forum for the 
exchange of good practice between the Member States.  

There are numerous regional agreements covering European seas (the Barcelona Convention, 
the Bonn Agreement, the Helsinki Convention), with the Commission playing a central role 
via  its  active  participation  in  marine  pollution  response  groups.  However,  the  management 
committee  is  the  only  instrument  at  the  Community  level  at  which  experts  from  all  the 
regional areas are represented. 

2.2 

Response to marine pollution accidents 

Since  2001,  in  the  event  of  an  accident,  when  the  scale  of  the  disaster  is  such  that  national 
reaction  capacity  is  insufficient,  the  affected  country  may  call  on  the  services  of  the  civil 
protection mechanism and the MIC (Monitoring and Information Centre).  

The civil protection mechanism was established in 2001 to provide on-demand support in the 
event of emergencies and contribute to and improve the coordination of assistance provided 
by the Member States and the Community. 

While there are several regional agreements on accidental marine pollution facilitating mutual 
assistance  and  cooperation  between  the  Member  States  in  this  field,  the  civil  protection 
mechanism  is  the  reference  tool  at  Community  level  for  facilitating  the  mobilisation  of 
assistance from the Member States in the event of a marine pollution accident. 

In an incident such as the Prestige accident, the MIC responded immediately to the requests 
for  assistance  from  the  Spanish  authorities,  facilitating  the  dispatch  of  specialised  vessels, 
floating barriers and surveillance planes to the scene. The Commission also quickly set up an 
observer  mission  in  Galicia.  In  addition,  it  contributed  to  ensuring  coordination  between 
Spain,  Portugal  and  France,  so  that  sufficient  resources  were  made  available  to  each  of  the 
three  countries  affected  by  the  accident.  Finally,  it  disseminated  satellite  images  of  the 
disaster analysed by the Commission's Joint Research Centre.  

During  the  summer  of  2006,  the  MIC  responded  very  quickly  to  the  request  for  assistance 
from  the  Lebanese  authorities  to  deal  with  the  pollution  affecting  Lebanon.  With  hostilities 
still raging, the MIC deployed a team of experts to assess needs on the ground and to provide 
scientific  and  technical  support  to  the  local  authorities.  Via  the  MIC,  specialised  equipment 
originating  from  five  different  Member  States  was  supplied  to  Lebanon.  The  MIC  also 
distributed  to  the  Member  States  its  analysis  of  satellite  images.  Thanks  to  the  informal 
network between Member States created under the aegis of the MCMP, it was easier to mount 
a global response in which States from different regions joined forces to send equipment to a 
third country. 

2.3 

The role played by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) 

In 2002, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) was set up4 to assist in particular the 
Commission  and  the  Member  States  in  the  implementation  of  Community  legislation  in  the 
field of maritime safety and the prevention of ship-source pollution.  

4 

Regulation  (EC)  No  1406/2002  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27  June  2002 
establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
In  2004,  the  Agency's  mandate  was  expanded  via  Regulation  (EC)  No  724/2004,  which 
assigned  to  the  Agency  specific  obligations  in  the  field  of  the  fight  against  ship-sourced 
pollution in the Community. 

Under  that  Regulation5,  the  Agency  is  required  to  provide  the  Member  States  and  the 
Commission  with  technical  and  scientific  assistance  in  relation  to  accidental  or  deliberate 
pollution  by  ships  and  to  support,  following  a  request  for  assistance,  the  pollution  response 
mechanisms  of  Member  States.  It  acts  in  support  of  the  Community  framework  for 
cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution, and also in support of the 
Community mechanism. 

In  order  provide  an  overall  framework  for  its  activities  in  the  field  of  the  prevention  of  oil 
pollution and the fight against this kind of pollution, in October 2004 the Agency adopted an 
action plan for oil pollution preparedness and response (hereinafter the "action plan")6, as laid 
down in the Regulation.  

Since March 2006, affected Member States have been able to call on the Agency to charter 
anti-pollution ships to supplement their efforts to combat pollution with additional resources. 
These  ships  were  identified  following  an  invitation  to  tender,  and  will  be  posted  in  four 
regions covering European seas. The ships chartered by the Agency will be made available to 
the Member States on request via the Community civil protection mechanism.  

In 2005 the Agency considerably increased the size of its team dedicated to the response to 
marine pollution, which now totals almost 20 people.  

3. 

ASSESSMENT OF ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK FOR 
COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF PREPAREDNESS 

The  Community  framework  has  made  it  possible  to  carry  out  activities  with  a 

3.1 
significant impact 

Since 2000, more than 40 actions have been carried out, chiefly workshops, pilot projects and 
training courses. The European dimension of these projects has been promoted, with projects 
attended by two Member States or more encouraged. 

The actions focused on a variety of subjects: research on environmental damage, the role of 
local authorities in preparedness and the response to marine pollution, activities relating to oil 
recovery, the treatment of petroleum waste, and the role of volunteers in major disasters. 

Other reference measures were in response to more specific objectives within the Community 
framework for cooperation.  

One  project  focused  on  the  presence  of  munitions  dumped  at  sea  and  methods  of 
neutralisation. The conclusions of the project and the studies carried out within the framework 

5 

6 

Regulation  (EC)  No  724/2004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  31  March  2004 
amending Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency 
The action plan was adopted by the board of the Agency at its 9th meeting, held in Lisbon on 21 and 22 
October 2004 (internet link: http://www.emsa.eu.int) 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
                                                 
of  certain  regional  agreements  (particularly  HELCOM)  enabled  significant  progress  to  be 
made on this issue.  

As  regards  deliberate  pollution,  there  were  a  number  of  activities  promoting  exchanges 
between  Member  States  that  focused  on  illicit  operational  spills  from  ships.  In  addition,  an 
expert group dedicated to the satellite monitoring of oil pollution at sea (EGEMP) was set up 
at the Commission.  

A  number  of  actions  with  significant  impact  were  carried  out  in  relation  to  exchanges  of 
experience  at  the  European  level,  which  represent  the  main  value  added  of  the  Community 
action  in  the  field  of  preparedness.  In  particular,  a  programme  for  exchanges  of  experts 
between  Member  States  (EUMAREX)  was  launched  in  2002  to  promote  training  and  the 
exchange of experience. Since the start of 2004, 111 people from 15 different countries have 
participated in the programme, which has been held in almost 20 countries.  

Lastly,  the  Community  information  system  (CIS)  hosted  on  the  Commission's  internet  site 
was constantly updated throughout the period 2000-06, particularly in order to take account of 
the  enlargement  of  the  EU.  The  CIS  is  frequently  championed  by  the  Member  States  as  a 
unique tool that gives substance to Community cooperation in the field of marine pollution. 

The mid-programme evaluation carried out in March 2004 and the overall evaluation of civil 
protection  programmes  carried  out  in  July  2005  highlighted  that  preparedness  actions  had 
achieved encouraging results at the national, regional and local levels, including improvement 
in  the  level  of  information  provided  to  the  public  and  an  increased  awareness  of  the 
importance  of  preparedness.  The  actions  also  contributed  to  risk  prevention.  Lastly,  the 
investment in training, exchanges of experience and preparation undertaken over the last few 
years  have  led  to  the  emergence  of  a  common  culture  in  the  field  of  accidental  marine 
pollution.  

The  Community  framework  has  led  to  the  emergence  of  other  legislative 

3.2 
instruments 

Since the adoption of the Community framework for cooperation, the initial objectives have 
in some cases been replaced by certain legislative instruments.  

The  framework  for  cooperation  aims  to  "promote  cooperation  between  Member  States  in 
order  to  provide  for  compensation  for  damage  in  accordance  with  the  polluter-pays 
principle".  Workshops  and  pilot  projects  were  organised,  particularly  after  the  Prestige 
accident. At the same time, the legislation on environmental damage was developed with the 
adoption of Directive 2004/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 
2004  on  environmental  liability  with  regard  to  the  prevention  and  remedying  of 
environmental damage. Although the Directive covers accidental marine pollution only very 
partially, it is nonetheless a first stage towards the establishment of a common framework for 
liability with a view to preventing environmental damage caused by accidents of this kind.  

In its initial objectives, the Community framework seeks to enhance cooperation between the 
Member  States  with  regard  to  deliberate  pollution  and  illicit  operational  spills  from  ships. 
Directive 2005/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on ship-source pollution 
and  on  the  introduction  of  penalties  for  infringements,  annexed  to  Council  Framework 
Decision 2005/667/JHA to strengthen the criminal-law framework for the enforcement of the 
law against ship-source pollution, now provides a legal framework for such actions.  

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
The  Framework  Decision  requires  the  Member  States  to  designate  contact  points  and  make 
provision for information obligations in the event of pollution likely to affect other Member 
States.  It  also  includes  provisions  facilitating  the  choice  of  the  criminal-law  jurisdiction 
competent to enforce the law against ship-source pollution.  

Other legislative instruments highlight the value added of Community cooperation in terms of 
preparedness and response.  

The  Thematic  Strategy  on  the  Protection  and  Conservation  of  the  Marine  Environment, 
adopted  by  the  Commission  on  24  October  20057,  establishes  common  objectives  and 
principles  at  Community  level,  with  implementation  to  be  carried  out  at  the  level  of  the 
marine  regions.  Each  region  must  define  regional  environmental  objectives  and  draw  up 
indicators  and  monitoring  measures  to  evaluate  progress  towards  these  objectives.  Actions 
and objectives specific to the field of preparedness for pollution are to be incorporated therein. 

Lastly, on 7 June 2006 the Commission published a Green Paper entitled "Towards a future 
Maritime Policy for the Union: A European vision for the oceans and seas”, which highlights 
the  existing  interactions  and  dependencies  between  marine-based  industries,  including  in 
connection with preparedness and response to marine pollution. 

4. 

THE  ENHANCEMENT  AND  CONTINUATION  OF  PREPAREDNESS  AND  RESPONSE  FROM  
1 JANUARY 2007 

4.1 

Improving preparedness after 2007 

Improving the consistency of Community policy in the field of marine pollution preparednes  

The  actions  carried  out  so  far  have  had  a  significant  impact.  They  have  contributed  to  the 
emergence of certain legislative instruments.  

At  the  same  time,  the  Commission,  aware  of  the  importance  of  this  issue,  has  sought  to 
continue  and  enhance  existing  measures,  while  also  proposing  an  increased  role  for  the 
European Maritime Safety Agency in terms of marine pollution preparedness and response. 

The  Commission  encourages  greater  consistency  in  Community  policy  in  the  field;  the 
Community  framework  for  cooperation  will  not  be  renewed  in  its  current  form,  but 
preparedness actions will continue and will be expanded in the most appropriate framework.  

The European Maritime Safety Agency intends to continue and develop preparedness actions  

The role of the European Maritime Safety Agency has expanded considerably in the field of 
marine pollution preparedness.  

Regulation  (EC)  No  1406/2002  establishing  the  Agency,  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No 
724/2004,  made  it  possible  to  implement  certain  preparedness  actions.  As  indicated  in  the 
action  plan  for  oil  pollution  preparedness  and  response  (see  point  2.3),  the  Agency  also 

7 

Thematic strategy on the protection and conservation of the marine environment COM(2005) 504 of 24 
October 2005 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
undertakes, within the framework of the Regulation, preparedness actions for the setting up of 
effective intervention operations. 

In  2005,  EMSA  organised  workshops  on  marine  pollution  response,  and  published  a  study 
into the use of dispersants. In 2006, EMSA continued to organised workshops on the response 
to chemical pollution and on satellite observation of pollution.  

According  to  the  action  plan,  the  draft  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  on  the  multiannual  funding  for  the  action  of  the  Agency8,  which  is  currently  under 
discussion9,  states  that  the  Agency  will  continue  with  "supporting  activities  concerning  the 
areas of information, coordination and cooperation".  

Its  work  programme  for  2007,  the  Agency  indicates  that  it  intends  to  continue  to  organise 
such workshops  and  studies in the future. Even  if  the  means  of  funding these actions differ 
(invitation to tender or organised directly by the Agency, rather than via part financing), they 
will  still  respond  to  objectives  that  are  markedly  similar  to  those  in  the  Community 
framework for cooperation. 

Other Community programmes will respond to specific objectives 

Within  the  framework  of  other  Community  programmes,  particularly  under  cohesion  and 
research  policy,  specific  actions  are  underway  in  the  field  of  preparedness  for  accidental  or 
deliberate pollution and these will continue from 2007 onwards.  

It  is  likely  that  these  programmes  will  implement  actions  responding  to  certain  of  the 
objectives  of  the  Community  framework  for  cooperation  for  which  EMSA  does  not  have 
responsibility: cooperation with relevant local bodies and nature protection bodies as regards 
risk prevention and response; environmental impact assessments and the cleaning of beaches. 

Under  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF),  it  is  currently  possible  to  
part-finance,  via  Interreg  transnational  cooperation  programmes,  preventative  measures 
concerning for example the monitoring of maritime traffic, the protection of coastal areas, risk 
management strategies and plans, databases and models. In addition, under Objectives 1 and 2 
of the Cohesion Policy, the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund may be used to part-finance port 
investments  to  reduce  the  risk  of  accidents  and  also  equipment  for  rapid  intervention  and 
waste treatment in the event of a pollution incident. All of this part-financing may continue 
during  the  period  2007-13,  in  application  of  the  three  ERDF  Objectives  (convergence, 
regional competitiveness and employment, territorial cooperation) and the areas of activity of 
the Cohesion Fund. However, in application of the polluter-pays principle, regional policy in 
this field cannot replace the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF). 

Similarly,  marine  pollution  is  one  of  the  priorities  of  the  "sustainable  surface  transport" 
programme within the 5th and 6th research framework programmes.  

8 

9 

Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation on multiannual funding for the action of the 
European Maritime Safety Agency in the field of response to pollution caused by ships and amending 
Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 
This  draft  Regulation  was  already  approved  by  the  Council  in  June  2006  and  by  Parliament  in 
September 2006 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Almost  17  actions  dedicated  to  marine  pollution  were  launched  under  the  6th  framework 
programme and are continuing. These actions concern among other things the development of 
risk  analysis  methodologies,  tools  for  decision-making  aids,  detection  systems  and  oil 
recovery systems. Other research projects aim to define the current state of affairs concerning 
the use of satellites. The 7th research framework programme (2007-13) will continue with the 
development  of  reference  actions  in  the  field  of  marine  pollution.  In  addition,  the  Joint 
Research  Centre  intends  to  launch  an  institutional  action  dedicated  to  maritime  monitoring 
(MASURE).  

The exchange of good practice at Community level will continue 

Since  the  Community  framework  for  cooperation  will  not  be  renewed,  the  management 
committee  (MCMP)  will  not  continue  in  its  current  form.  However,  the  Commission  is 
convinced that the existence of such a forum for the exchange of good practice contributes to 
improving accident response at the European level. 

The  Commission  will  therefore  continue  to  organise  specific  meetings  at  least  once  year  to 
bring together those responsible for preparedness and response in the Member States. These 
meetings, which could for example be given over to the feedback of experience in the wake of 
accidents, will be held in appropriate contexts, or under the aegis of EMSA.  

4.2 

Enhancing the response to accidental marine pollution after 2007 

Greater consistency in the response at the European level  

Since  2002,  the  Community  civil  protection  mechanism  has  been  the  reference  tool  at  the 
Community level for the response to marine pollution accidents. The effectiveness of the civil 
protection  mechanism  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  response  under  the  mechanism  to  the 
Prestige accident and to the pollution that has affected the Lebanese coastline.  

In its Resolution on improving safety at sea, adopted on 27 April 2004 following the work of 
the  Temporary  Committee  on  Improving  safety  at  sea  (MARE),  the  European  Parliament 
stressed the importance of transnational cooperation in the response to accidents and the need 
for effective coordination. 

The  Community  civil  protection  mechanism  will  continue  to  be  the  reference  tool  for  the 
response  to  marine  pollution  accidents  from  2007  onwards.  With  the  use  of  the  civil 
protection  mechanism  by  EMSA  for  the  provision  of  anti-pollution  ships  in  the  event  of  a 
request for assistance from a Member State, the Mechanism will have an enhanced role. 

In this context, the Commission intends to develop coordination between the Monitoring and 
Information Centre (MIC) and the marine pollution response unit of EMSA in order to ensure 
a response to disasters that is as effective and consistent as possible. As was demonstrated in 
the case of the pollution that affected the Lebanese coastline, the Agency is able to provide 
technical assistance to the Commission in the event of disasters; Agency staff members with 
specific experience are able to support the MIC and/or the affected State, while the Agency 
can  assist  the  Member  States  and  the  Commission  with  the  supply  and  analysis  of  satellite 
imagery. 

The  Agency  and  the  MIC  have  formalised  working  arrangements  in  order  to  facilitate 
coordination:  these  relate  inter  alia  to  the  development  of  a  mutual  alert  system,  the 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
integration of EMSA into the Common Emergency Communication and Information System 
(CECIS) set up under the civil protection mechanism, and EMSA's participation in missions 
on the ground by teams of experts. These arrangements will be regularly updated in the future.  

Improving operational support to the Member States 

The  Commission  wants  to  enhance  the  operational  support  provided  to  the  Member  States, 
particularly in the form of the mobilisation of expertise in emergency situations, and by the 
dissemination among the Member States of the expertise acquired in such situations. 

The mechanism, thanks to its network providing a 24-hour link between the administrations 
of  the  Member  States,  will  continue  to  provide  useful  operational  assistance,  particularly  in 
the form of exchanges of information on existing needs. The Commission wants to improve 
data  collection  in  the  event  of  an  accident  and  the  dissemination  of  regular  updates  to 
participating countries.  

The  Commission  will  continue  its  collaboration  with  the  other  international  organisations 
involved  in  accident  response,  such  the  regional  agreements  and  the  agencies  of  the  United 
Nations, as was the case during the pollution that affected Lebanon. 

The  Community  information  system  (CIS)  incorporates  the  resources  made  available  by 
EMSA. The Commission will continue in the future to manage the Community information 
system, which occupies a central place in the framework for cooperation. 

5. 

CONCLUSION 

For  almost  thirty  years,  Community  action  in  the  field  of  accidental  or  deliberate  marine 
pollution  has  been  expanding:  cooperation  between  Member  States,  initially  on  an  informal 
level, rests mainly on the civil protection mechanism, the reference tool at the European level 
for  facilitating  response.  The  experience  of  recent  disasters  has  demonstrated  that  Europe's 
response,  coordinated  together  with  international  bodies  with  competence  in  the  field  of 
marine pollution and with the support of EMSA, was both rapid and effective. 

The marine pollution accidents that have taken place in the past have had a significant impact 
on the environment. The European Union must do everything in its power to ensure that such 
disasters are not repeated. For this reason, preparedness actions to deal with such occurrences 
are  more  necessary  than  ever.  Despite  the  expiry  of  the  Community  framework  for 
cooperation,  the  Commission  intends  to  continue  and  promote  its  actions  in  the  field  of  the 
fight  against  ship-source  pollution  from  2007  onwards.  The  European  Maritime  Safety 
Agency will play an increased role in this field. From 2007, Community action will be even 
more effective, as a result. 

EN 

10 

   EN