B3-0055, 0080, 0091, 0094, 0102, 0104, 0114, 0131 and 0134/94

Resolution on maritime safety

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its numerous resolutions on accidents at sea and maritime safety in the waters of the Union,

-having regard to the Commission's communication 'A common policy on safe seas' (COM(93)0066), and the action programme set out therein, and Article 75 of the EC Treaty which expressly provides for measures to improve transport safety,

-having regard to the resolution of the Council of Transport Ministers of 7 and 8 June 1993 on maritime safety,

A.concerned at the growing number of accidents in the waters of the European Union, most recently the running aground of a bulk wine carrier in December 1993 and a freighter in January 1994 between Corsica and Sardinia, areas already identified as extremely sensitive to the potentially disastrous consequences for the environment and maritime ecosystem,

B.having regard to the meeting of the Environment Ministers of France and Italy in Bonifacio on 19 January 1993 to discuss a ban on the shipping of hazardous cargoes through the Straits of Bonifacio; whereas France and Italy have submitted a draft resolution to the IMO, designed to replace the existing resolution 670(16) and recommending that Member States prohibit, or at least strongly discourage, the shipping of hazardous cargoes through the Straits of Bonifacio,

C.noting that, following the loss of containers from a vessel of uncertain origin off the coast of Bordeaux, thousands of detonators have been found along the shores of the Atlantic; having regard to the threat to the population and the environment posed by these explosives and other toxic products, which has led the regional authorities to prohibit access to the whole shoreline; having regard to the damage caused to the tourist industry,

D.stressing the importance of sea transport and the role that shipping could have in restoring balance between the various modes of transport in the Union, as pointed out in the Commission White Paper on sustainable mobility (COM(92)0494),

E.regretting that the European Union has delayed consideration of the problems associated with safety at sea and in ports for so long,

F.whereas, following the wreck of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989, the United States adopted, independently of the IMO, regulations imposing more stringent safety standards than in Europe for shipping in US waters; drawing the attention of the Community institutions to the implementation of the Arcantel and NTMM (Network for Transport Management in the Mediterranean), programmes to improve inter-port telematics networks and maritime safety, which have been co-financed from the funds earmarked for inter-regional cooperation since 1990,

1.Calls on the Commission and the Council, as a matter of urgency, to implement a genuine policy on maritime safety in the Union on the basis of the action programme set out in the Commission's communication and the European Parliament's resolutions;

2.Considers it essential for Community institutions and the Member States to cooperate more fully if the waters of the Union are to be effectively protected and a genuine common policy implemented;

3.Points out that the package of positive measures to aid the Community fleet, in particular the setting-up of a EUROS register and the definition of Community shipowner, must be regarded as an integral part of a Union policy on maritime safety and calls on the Council to adopt it;

4.Calls on the governments of the Member States to strengthen the existing conventions already adopted by the IMO; calls on the Council and the Member States to coordinate their actions to exclude, from the territorial waters and ports of the Union, vessels which do not have the high safety standards required to safeguard human life, the environment and the ecosystem;

5.Calls on the Council of Transport and Environment Ministers to add the following measures to the action plan:

-extension of the 12 nautical mile safety zone,

-the setting up of a network of mandatory shipping routes to avoid ships carrying hazardous or polluting goods passing through ecologically sensitive areas,

-the requirement that vessels be equipped with a real-time positioning system when they enter the safety zone and report their position by radio to the control centre,

-more stringent safety standards for the design of vessels, level of qualification of crews and working conditions on ships;

6.Calls on the Commission to give further support to the position taken by France and Italy vis-à-vis the IMO to ensure that this new resolution is adopted as a matter of urgency; calls on the Member States, particularly France and Italy, to equip themselves with the instruments needed to combat marine pollution effectively; calls on the Commission to provide financial support for the clean-up operation required as a result of this accident;

7.Considers that the Commission should, in cooperation with the international authorities of the IMO, review the rules governing the transport of dangerous substances which have to be loaded on deck for safety reasons but which, as a result, can be swept overboard during violent storms;

8.Calls for a formal ban on oil tankers, ships transporting hazardous substances and high tonnage vessels in the Straits of Bonifacio;

9.Calls on the Greek Presidency to convene a jumbo session of the Ministers of Transport and the Environment on maritime safety;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the International Maritime Organization.