Fuente: © European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/

EU: An integrated maritime policy for the EU - 20 May designated European Maritime Day

/noticias.info/ On the first European Maritime Day, the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report which says that the Action Plan includes too few practical measures and urges the Commission to use the instruments at its disposal under the EU Treaty. MEPs say that climate change challenges are addressed in a non-binding way, and that it should be the task of European Maritime Policy to prepare, in particular, for rising sea levels, with the increased risk of flooding of ports and of coastal regions.

The report was adopted with 587 votes in favour, 20 against and 38 abstentions.

20 May - The first European Maritime Day

MEPs backed a proposal to establish an annual Maritime Day. Such an action day should be used to establish the significance of maritime policy outside maritime circles, with the participation of ordinary citizens, schools, universities and non-governmental organisations.

The European Maritime Day highlights the contribution that oceans and seas make to helping Europe meet the challenges of a globalised world. It is an opportunity to celebrate Europe's maritime heritage and maritime identity. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of the maritime industries and sectors in Europe's overall economy, and emphasise the key role of Europe's coastal regions.

The event

On 20 May in Strasbourg, President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, Council President Janez Janša, and Commission President José Manuel Barroso officially launched the first European Maritime Day by signing the Joint Tripartite Declaration establishing a "European Maritime Day".

Reducing emissions

MEPs call for maritime policy to make a substantial contribution to reducing greenhouse emissions, including incorporating shipping in emissions trading and stepping up research efforts with a view to exploiting the seas as a source of renewable energy. They also urge the Commission to be more ambitious in combating sulphur and NOx emissions as well as the emissions from ships.

In this connection, the House reiterates the need for closer cooperation in this field with the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) and, in particular, calls for:

- the introduction of nitrogen oxide emission standards for ships using EU ports;
- the designation of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the North-East Atlantic as Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs);
- the reduction of the maximum permitted sulphur content in marine fuels used in SECAs by passenger vessels from 1,5% to 0,5%;
- the introduction of fiscal measures, such as taxes or charges on sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ships and the identification of ways of imposing such measures and charges on all ships, regardless of flag, putting into Community ports or sailing within EU waters;
- promotion of the introduction of differentiated harbour and waterway charges to favour ships with low sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions;
- a proposal for an EU directive on the quality of marine fuels.

Glaciers

The melting of glaciers causes not only a rise in sea levels, but also irreparable damage to human, animal and plant life. Therefore, the Commission's initiative to put forward an Arctic Initiative is welcome.

Land-based pollution

Members also point out that land-based pollution of the sea constitutes a significant proportion of overall maritime pollution and that the Commission has yet to get grips with this issue. The Commission should put forward an action plan to reduce such pollution and the Member States should act promptly to transpose the legislation in this field into their national laws. They add that an action plan is also needed to identify and remove old munitions from past wars dumped in the North Sea and the Baltic.

Social and labour protection for seafarers

Seafarers should no longer be excluded from certain areas of European social and labour protection, such as safeguards for employees' rights in the event of transfers of undertakings, rules on collective redundancies and on the posting of workers to provide services. The directives concerned should be revised in close cooperation with the social partners.

Fisheries

The key objective of an EU maritime policy in the field of fisheries should be to promote the modernisation and sustainable development of the industry throughout the EU. Although the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has been serving well the industry in general, future policy should be developed in such a way to avoid failings in the CFP such as over-centralisation and the failure to take account of the regional diversity of the European waters. MEPs call for mutual recognition by the Member States of intermediate diplomas for the occupation of steersman and mechanic for fishing vessels. MEPs reiterate the need for mechanisms to subsidise or compensate fishermen who are affected by the repercussions of stock recovery plans or measures to protect ecosystems, especially in less favoured regions and communities and the outermost regions.

Protection of fishing and merchant ships by naval vessels

MEPs ask the Commission to set up a Community system for coordination and mutual assistance, that would allow naval vessels flying the flag of a Member State deployed in international waters, to protect fishing and merchant vessels from other Member States, at the earliest possible opportunity.
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