B4-0687, 0697 and 0706/95

Resolution on the attack on an Italian fishing vessel by the Croatian coastguard authorities

The European Parliament,

A.whereas the Marisella I, an Italian fishing vessel sailing out of Giulianova, was seized, with a crew of four on board, on 23 March 1995 by a cutter of the Croatian coastguard after a dramatic chase complete with bursts of submachine-gunfire,

B.whereas the Marisella I was not engaged in fishing and was sheltering from a storm,

C.whereas the captain of the vessel, who sustained serious injuries to his shoulder and neck, almost lost his life, but was saved thanks to complex surgery carried out at the hospital in Sibenik, where he was taken after being arrested,

D.whereas this incident has caused a great deal of tension amongst people who make their living from the sea, for whom the safety problems associated with navigation in the Adriatic have increased,

1.Calls on the Council and the Commission to investigate the incident through diplomatic channels;

2.Calls on the Commission, in conjunction with the professional bodies concerned, to tackle the problems of the safety of maritime activities, and possibly to review the protocols concerning fisheries cooperation, if such incidents involving attacks on a Member State of the European Union were to be repeated;

3.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the Government of Croatia.