Madam President, we were all shocked by the terrible disaster of the "Estonia" which happened during our last part-session. One of the things that was clear was that although this was one of the worst incidents, it was not the only one. There had been many other near disasters since the "Herald of Free Enterprise". The most striking aspect to me was that this was a relatively modern vessel. It complied with IMO regulations, as far as we are aware. The operator and its staff were of high standards and it was not registered under a flag of convenience. The European Parliament has special responsibilities here, not just the Commission and not just the Council. It is our responsibility to promote the safety of European citizens travelling because we ourselves are promoting the mobility of our citizens through the single market, through the removal of national barriers and by a promotion of European citizenship.

It is a fact that ro-ro travel will grow quickly and there have already been too many failures and too many problems with this form of ship and transport. What we need to know as a Parliament is why these current regulations failed. And what needs to be done to prevent such future disasters and what is needed in terms of regulations and in terms of enforcement. As I said, we here in the European Parliament are in a unique position and have a duty to represent the needs, concerns and future safety of citizens travelling between European states. If we do not take that responsibility seriously, then we can guarantee there will be future disasters on a similar scale. I believe that this is so important and is so much our responsibility that this Parliament should actually set up a committee to inquire into this incident and the future of ro-ro ferries, the ways they are constructed and their regulations.

This Parliament must take up its own responsibility for the safety of its own citizens at sea. At the same time I welcome many of the points made, particularly by the Council. I look forward to those areas being pushed forward very strongly in November and beyond. We must not forget that this incident has happened, let it go off the agenda and then regret it when a similar incident takes place.