B3-0215/94

Resolution on disasters in the North Sea

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolution of 20 January 1994 on maritime safety,

A.having regard to the frequent occurrence of accidents at sea and the pollution of the Union's territorial waters, the latest accident in a long series involving the Sharbo, a French vessel which lost three containers, each loaded with 200 000 packets of the extremely toxic pesticide Apron Plus in the Bay of Biscay in December 1993,

B.whereas this agricultural toxin is produced by Ciba Geigy, Switzerland, and is not authorized anywhere in Europe,

C.whereas almost 150 000 packets have been recovered in the Netherlands and a few thousand in Germany, leaving over 400 000 still in the marine environment,

D.whereas, mixed with water, this agricultural toxin produces carbofurane, which continues to poison nature and the environment for more than a hundred days, posing a threat especially to seals but also to shellfish, shrimps and plants; whereas hundreds of dead and injured birds have been found in the Netherlands,

E.whereas the accident led to beaches in France, the Netherlands and Germany being closed to the public in December 1993 and January 1994, in some cases for more than a week,

F.whereas it would have been far easier to detect the lost containers if they had been equipped with small radio-acoustic transmitters, which cost only ECU 50 to 100 each,

G.whereas the Commission surprisingly neglected to inform the Member States of this accident in the Bay of Biscay within 10 days, the period agreed at the North Sea Conference in 1990,

H.whereas enormous quantities of toxic substances, both chemical and nuclear, are transported by water, road and air throughout the EU and elsewhere,

1.Calls on the Commission and the Councils of Transport and Environment Ministers to do whatever they can at the next meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization in May 1994 to ensure that the following measures are taken:

-ships carrying oil or hazardous substances should take prescribed routes that avoid ecologically sensitive areas,

-ships should carry hazardous substances in containers, each of which must be equipped with a radio-acoustic beacon,

-ships should carry hazardous substances in containers stored below deck, this to be made compulsory by the end of 1995, until which time containers stored above deck should be properly secured,

-an inspection system should be introduced to ensure that containers used to transport hazardous substances are of good quality and well maintained;

2.Calls for an assurance from the Commission and Council that they will set aside money in the 1995 budget for the improvement of safety through the location in such dangerous areas as the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar and the entrance to the Baltic Sea of recovery equipment financed by the EU to enable rapid action to be taken and potential disasters prevented;

3.Calls on the Commission to recommend in its future proposals for European regulations or directives concerning liability for damage to the environment that the US$ 8 million limit be abolished and that operators be held fully liable for damage to the environment;

4.Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a directive prohibiting the production of pesticides that may not be used in the EU;

5.Notes that technical measures on their own are not enough to eliminate the threat posed by the (often not publicly known) transport of toxic chemical and nuclear substances;

6.Notes that the aim should be not only to cope with the consequences of such alarming incidents but also to tackle their structural causes, i.e.

(a)the conversion of industry to clean production methods wherever possible, with the total suppression of harmful toxic substances as the ultimate objective,

(b)the abandonment of chemicals in agriculture for environment-friendly organic farming,

(c)in general, a reduction in the level of consumption and flows of traffic rather than exposing an unwitting and unprepared public to even greater risks;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Councils of Transport and Environment Ministers, the governments of the Member States, the Commission, the members of the environment and transport committees of the national parliaments and the IMO.