Donnington, Lord Bruce

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,t\3tt ro)t 11European CommunitiesEUROPEAI\ PARLIAMENTWorking Documentsr97B - t97916 January 1979 DOCUMENT ss6/78Reportdrawn up on behalf of the Committee on Regional policy, RegionalPlanning and Transporton the proposal from the commission of the European communities tothe council (Doc. 488/78) for a decision rendering mandatory theprocedures for ship inspection forming the subject of resolutions of theInterCovernmental Maritime Consultative OrganizationRapporteur: lord BRUCE of DONINGTON/2LEnglish EditionPE 56.368/fin.By letter of 30 Noveilber Lg7g, the president of the Council of theEuropean communities requested the European parliament pursuant to Articre84(2) of the EEc rreaty to deriver an opinion on the proposar from thecommission of the EuroPean communities to the councir for a decision renderingmandatory the procedures for the ship inspection forming the subject ofresorutions of the rnter-Governmentar Maritime consurtative organization.rhe President of the European Parriament referred this proposal to thecommittee on Regionar Poricy, Regional planning and Transport as the committeeresponsibre, and to the committee on the Environment, pubric Hearth andConsumer protection for its opinion.At its meet.ing of 2g Noveilber Lg7g, the Committee on Regional policy,Regional Pranning and Transport appointed Lord Bruce of Donington rapporteur.The committee considered the report at its meeting of 19 December 1978,and adopted it unanimously.Present: Lord Bruce of Donington, chairman and rapporteur; Mr Brosnan,Mr Delmotte, Mr Fuchs,,Mr Johnston, Mr Jung, Mr.s Kelrett-rlowman, Mr osborn,Mr Seefeld, Mr Star.ke.rhe opinion of the committee on the Environment, public Hearth andConsumer protection is attached.-3- PE 56.36a/fin.CONTENTSPaceA. I.,IOTICN FOR A RESOLUTIONB. EXPLANATORY STATEIT1ENTOpinion of the Committee onand Consumer Protectionthe Environment, PubIic IIeaIth-4- PE s6.368 7gin.AThe Conunittee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Transporthereby submits to the European Parliament the following motion fora resolution together with explanatory statementMOTION FOR A RESOLUTIONembodying the opinion of the European Parliament on the proposal fromthe Commission of the European Communities to the Council fora decision rendering mandatory the procedurcs for shipinspection forming the subject of resolutions of theInter-covernmental lrtar itime Consultative OrganizationThe Euror)ean Parliament,- having regard to the proposal from the Commission of theEuropean Communities to the CounciIl;- having been consulted by the Council pursuant to ArticLe 84(2) ofthe EEC Treaty (ooc. 4BB/7d;- having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Poliey,Itegional Plannirrj and 'Iransport and the opiniorr of t'ire Cornmit.l cr: orrt lrr' Llrrv r rortmerr I , Pu]>l ic Ilea I l-lr .tnrl (-'orrsunrr:r l)rot (.cl i()n (lior. \\(,/7tl) ;- referrinq to its previous resolutions concernincr DroDosals trw the Com-mission with regard to safety on shipping in the Community waters;- fully aware of the urgent need to take all possible measures whichmay contribute towards the eliminaticn of avoidable accidents toshipping, and prevent marine and coastal pollution;approves the present proposal.OJ No. C 294, 28.1I. L978, p. 3E-J- PE 56.368 /fln.BEXPLANATORY STATEMELTTl. The Cc-nmission proposal for a Council decision which would makemandatory in the Member States the procedures for ship inspectionwhich form the subject of resolutions of tte Inter-covernmentalMaritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) is particularly welcome tothe Committee on Regional Po1icy, Regional Planning and Transportsince it became apparent to the Committee following the Public Hearingwhich they organised in Paris between 20 and 22 June 1978 on the bestmeans of preventing accidents to shipping, that one of the majorfeatures which would contribute towards shipping safety, andthe avoidan,:e of marine pollution lies in the effectiveenforcement of the various international Conventions which have beenagreed. Unfortunately, many of these Conventions have not been ratifiedor are not yet in force, and even where they are technically in force,they are not yet effectively enforced.2. The present proposal seeks to make it mandatory for the MemberStates to ' ensure the effective application' of the relevant Resolutionsof IMCO c:oncerning the implementation of ship inspection proceduresarising from the International Convention for the Safety of Life atSea 1960 (SoLAS 1960), and the Convention for the prevention ofPollutiorr of the Sea by Oil 1954 (OILPOL 1954), together with subsequentamendments to these Conventions.3. From a technical point of view, both Conventicns are in force,though thelz are not )ret effectively enforced. The Committee on RegionalPoIicy, Regional Planning and Transport very much welcome the initiatrvewhich the Commission has shown in proposing common enforcement of thesetwo Conventions by the Member States of the Community, since thisclosely follcws the ideas which they are at present considering.4. The Committee also very much welcome paragraph I of Article 3 ofthe proposed decision, which provides that the Council shaLl adopt, b1'a qualified majority, appropriate decisions for the effective appli-cation by the Member States of IMCO Resolutions or recommendationsconcerning the implementation of inter-maritime acJreements which have-6- PE 56. 36A /fin.not yet been adopted.5. In the opinion of your Rapporteur, this is an important Articlein that it paves the way not only for taking swift action in the future,at least as far as the lvlember states are concerned, but arso for theappropriate international conventions to be applied in a mandatoryfashion by :he Member States - that is to say, by decision - ratherthan in the permissive way which the council has adopted in a numberof recent cases - that is to say, by recommendation.6- Further consideration will be given to the present proposal inthe Committee's forthcoming report on accidents to shipping, but inthe'meantime the committee have no hesitation in commending it tothe European Parliament.PE 56.368 /fin.-7-OPINION OF THE COMIVIITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND CONSUI{ERPROTECTIONLetter from the chairman of the committee to Lord Bruce of Donington,Chairman of the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and TransportStrasbourg, 16 January 1979Dear Mr Chairman,Tfhe Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protectionconsidered this proposal at its meeting of 15 January 1979. fn its opinionfor the Committ-.ee on Regional PoIicy dated 30 November 19781, the Committeeon the Environment stresses the need to give greater attention to the gues-tion of chronie marine pollution by oi1 tankers, and in particular to sublectthe practice of cleaning oit tanks in coastal waters to more rigorous control.This proposal provides for the harmonization of ship inspections inall Community ports, with the aim of guaranteeing compliance wiLh thc intcr-nationally determined standards on safety and the control of dischargesof oil.While welconring the Commission initiative in principle, Lhe committeeregrets that the Commission only intends to regulate the frequency andprocedures of inspection in a subsequent proposal. The committee doubtswhether the present proposed decision can become operational unless thefrequency and procedures of inspection are laid down-The commil-tcc rcsponsiblc slror-rl-d l-al<c u1-r Llris; <lucstiort anr-l urgc ttrcCommissj-on l-o rcconsirlr:r [-lrc;rrcscnL JrroltosaJ- from Llris point of vicw.Yours sincerely,(sgd. ) Mrs J.B. Krouwel-VIamPresent: I{rs Krouwel-Vlam, chairman; Mr A1ber, }lr Br696g}re, Lord Kennet,Mr Lamberls, Mr W. Muller, Mr Noe', Mr Verhaegen and Mr Veronesi1nr ss.949/fin.-8- PE 56.368/fin.

Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Transport on the proposal from the commission of the European Communities to
the Council (Doc. 488/78) for a decision rendering mandatory the procedures for ship inspection forming the subject of resolutions of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization. EP Working Documents, document 556/78, 16 January 1979

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