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Loyola De Palacio News

23 Sep 2003

EU and China Set to Collaborate on GALILEO

An agreement has been reached between the European Union and China on its participation in the GALILEO program. This agreement was initialled in Beijing on September 18 by F. Lamoureux, Director-General of Energy and Transport at the European Commission, and M Shi Dinghuan, Secretary General of China's Ministry of Science and Technology. “China will help GALILEO to become the major world infrastructure for the growing market for location services,” said Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for the GALILEO programme. Her counterpart in the negotiations, China's Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua highlighted that “China supports GALILEO and plans to participate actively in its construction and application for mutual benefits”.

23 Feb 2004

Europe’s GALILEO Project Lifts Off

The European Commission adopted a communication on progress on the GALILEO program. Less than two years after the launch of the project in March 2002 and less than six months after the actual setting up of the GALILEO joint undertaking, the Commission was keen to inform Parliament and the Council of progress achieved in the development phase of the project. Among other things, the communication covers the ordering of the first two experimental satellites, the cooperation agreement with China and the procedure for designating the future concession holder for the system. «Everything is now in place to be able to move on to the deployment and operation phases in accordance with the planned deadlines, i.e.

31 Mar 2004

EC Takes Finland, Italy to Court

The European Commission decided to lodge a complaint to the Court of Justice against Finland for failure to respect EU legislation on Port State control of shipping. The aim of the infringed legislation is to reduce substandard shipping in the waters under the jurisdiction of Member States by increasing compliance with international and Community legislation. "This Directive is one of the pillars of our maritime safety legislation and we very much hope that Finland will take the necessary measures as soon as possible," Vice-President Loyola de Palacio said. "This is particularly important as the Baltic Sea would not survive an Erika disaster", she added.

09 Aug 2004

Lamoureux Outlines EC Transport Priorities

The European Parliament's new Transport and Tourism Committee held its first meeting on 28 July 2004, where François Lamoureux, the Director General of the European Commission's DG Transport and Energy (second in command after Commissioner Loyola de Palacio), presented the Commission's long-term objectives. Lamoureux said that essential to improving and progressing security measures for EU transport is to establish who will bear the costs involved - the ship operators or the public authorities. The Commission feels that public authorities should fulfil this role, a standpoint not shared by EU Member States who are disinclined to foot the bill. On the question of improving safety standards, Lamoureux felt that the idea of creating a European coast guard needs further exploration.

14 Dec 2001

EU-China Announce Agreement in Maritime Transport

At the end of a three-day long negotiation, the EU and China delegations have reached an agreement on maritime transport, based on the principles of freedom to provide services, free access to cargoes, and cross-trades, unrestricted access to an non-discriminatory treatment in the use of ports. It also contains provisions for auxiliary services as well as wider range of commercial maritime questions. This agreement follows the strong commitments taken by the Vice-President of the European Commission Loyola de Palacio and the Chinese minister of Communication Huang Zhendong, in June 2001 in Beijing and September 2001 in Brussels. Being the first maritime agreement concluded at European level…

17 Dec 2001

Intertanko Co-Sponsors Maritime Transport Symposium

Intertanko will co-sponsor a symposium in the European Union capital Brussels on January 24, 2002 on the subject of: The First European Parliament Symposium on Maritime Safety in Europe Maritime safety: Over the horizon? The symposium will draw up an inventory of European policies on maritime safety, and aims to heighten the awareness of the players involved and give an opportunity to compare ideas. The speakers will include Loyola de Palacio, vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner in charge of Transport and Energy, Göke Daniel Frerichs, president of the European Union's Economic and Social Committee, Isabelle Durant and F. Alvarez-Cascos of the European Union Transport Council. Source: Intertanko

10 Apr 2002

Galileo Gets 450M Euros to Proceed

The European Transport Council (i.e. Euro necessary to launch the Galileo satellite navigation project. without delay. Galileo has been stalled for 15 months. launch and thus increased the pressure on the Transport Council. was made possible by a compromise regarding the composition of the Joint Authority. process at the end of 2003. continue using the free GPS system will be able to do so as the signal will not be blocked. case, Galileo will have several levels of service, some of which will also be free. Transport and Energy Commissioner, Mrs. charge for those services which are of a higher quality than GPS currently provides. industry unless it wishes to avail itself of the reportedly 'superior' capabilities of Galileo.

08 May 2002

Targeting Greek Shipping's $16B Budget

Around the world, people involved with shipping are booking flights to Greece and preparing to do business at the Posidonia 2002 International Shipping Exhibition, held on the Piraeus waterfront from June 4-7, 2002. With the Greek market worth a conservative $16 billion per annum, there is plenty of incentive. The business week begins with The Posidonia Congress and a program of high level international presentations and debate, at the Megaron, Athens Concert Hall on Monday, June 3. Posidonia's attraction for exhibitors and visitors is not hard to see. Greek shipowners control the biggest fleet in the world. Their drive towards fleet renewal and regeneration is creating multi billion dollar opportunities throughout the international maritime industry.

16 Nov 2000

Intertanko Prepares To Mull EC Proposals

The tanker owners' organization Intertanko, said on Thursday it is ready to discuss proposals by the European Commission to keep ships in port during storms - a move that some fear will disrupt oil supply. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency estimates that last year about 380 million barrels of crude sailed through the English Channel. Intertanko points out that neither the French Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot nor the EU Transport Minister Loyola de Palacio have yet specified what exactly they mean by extreme weather conditions. Nor have they said what types of ship or cargo they expect to hold back during storms. The British Meteorological Office says that during an average winter in the western English Channel, winds exceed gale force eight for 15 percent of the time.

07 Nov 2000

Tanker Sinking Could Expedite New Ship Rules

As the International Maritime Organization grapples with the issue of the phasing in of safer tanker tonnage around the world, local political pressure in France is pushing the country towards acting within the confines of the EU to ensure safer ships, ala the OPA 90 regulations enacted in the wake of the Valdez disaster. The sinking off the coast of France of a tanker carrying toxic chemicals could push the European Union to speed up a planned crackdown on shipping safety, local media was reporting in the wake of the latest downing of a ship carrying environmentally harmful materials off the coast of France. The Italian tanker Ievoli Sun sank in the Channel with 6,000 tons of toxic chemicals aboard.

01 Jul 2002

EU Discusses Maritime Safety

Since the Erika ran aground, the European Union has made considerable progress towards improving maritime safety. Adoption of the measures of the Erika I package and most of those of the Erika II package is a major step towards putting effective rules into place to increase maritime safety and to counter the risks of oil spills. Thanks to these measures substandard ships and floating rust buckets should disappear from Europe's waters within two years. "The EU now has one of the best sets of maritime safety rules in the world, and these measures must be put into place with the utmost resolution and speed. The Commission, for its part…

09 Jul 2002

GALILEO: 2008 or Bust

The European Union is on track to start its own satellite navigation and positioning system, Galileo, as it was earlier this year announced that the Council of Transport Ministers released the $44 million needed to develop Galileo, and at the same time adopted the regulation establishing the joint undertaking responsible for operating it. Galileo is being developed as a commercial alternative to the U.S. GPS system, and tentatively is scheduled to be up and running by 2008. While markets are varied, and much of the advantages are touted in terms of savings tot the airlines, the maritime sector, including offshore oil and gas exploration, has been targeted as a major market for the project.

03 Dec 2002

European Commission Posts Blacklist

The European Commission published the names of substandard ships which would be banned if the new European maritime safety rules had already entered into force. The EU has also proposed to prohibit, the carriage of heavy fuel oil in single-hull oil tankers, and wants the Member States to give their views on this new measure at the next European Council to be held in Copenhagen on December 12 and 13. In addition to these key aspects of the "Prestige" Communication, the Commission is formally requesting the Member States to speed up and even implement ahead of schedule the maritime safety measures adopted following the Erika disaster three years ago so as to protect Europe's coasts and citizens against further disasters…

19 Feb 2003

Palacio Addresses Security in Shipping Environment

Loyola de Palacio, vice president of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport and Energy, delivered a Speech at an exhibition sponsored by the European Community Shipowners' Associations. She discussed, among other things, the role of maritime safety and security in a competitive shipping environment.

04 Mar 2003

Intertanko Welcomes IMO Initiative in Changes

INTERTANKO gives its wholehearted support to the initiative of the IMO Secretary-General, Bill O'Neil and the European Commission Vice President Loyola de Palacio to discuss possible new measures needed to prevent accidents such as the Prestige from occurring again. INTERTANKO fully supports the IMO and actively participates in developing and promoting measures aimed at improving safety at sea which will be the focus for the discussion at the Brussels meeting today. In the particular case of the Prestige, INTERTANKO stresses the need for comprehensive post-incident investigation and a dispassionate and rational approach to the development of any new regulation.

03 Mar 2003

IMO and EC to Discuss Prestige

Tuesday to meet the Vice-President of the European Commission, Loyola de Palacio, to discuss action contemplated to be taken in the aftermath of the Prestige accident off the NW coast of Spain in November 2002. which may be made regarding the Prestige incident. future would be assured.

28 Mar 2003

EU Bans Single-Hull Tankers

The Council of the European Union issued a Provisional Version of its 2499th Council meeting, which focused on transport issues. Under the plan, which must still be approved by the European Parliament, single-hull tankers over 5,000 dwt carrying heavy oils would be banned from EU ports. Single-hull tankers between 600 and 5,000 dwt carrying heavy oils would be banned from 2008. Pre-MARPOL single-hull tankers over 5,000 dwt would be banned from 2005. MARPOL single-hull tankers would be banned as from 2010. In press release issued by the EC, Vice-President Loyola de Palacio welcomed the action. The Council also considered proposals to increase sanctions for ship-source pollution…

22 Mar 2000

EU Proposes Tight Shipping Law To Prevent Future Oil Spills

The European Union's (EU) executive body on Tuesday proposed tightening EU shipping laws to prevent a repetition of the environmental disaster caused by the breakup of the tanker Erika off the French coast. The European Commission approved far-reaching proposals by EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio for stricter checks on ships visiting EU ports and for oil tankers with a single-skinned hull to be banned from EU waters. The Commission urged the shipping industry, the EU's 15 member states and the European Parliament - which must endorse the proposals - to accept the reforms. Before the proposals become law, the Commission urged oil companies to agree voluntarily not to charter tankers more than 15 years old, unless they were in good condition.

11 Apr 2003

EU Countries Propose MARPOL Amendments in Prestige Response

The Secretary-General of IMO, William O’Neil, received from all the fifteen Member States of the European Union, each of which is a Party to the MARPOL Convention, a set of formal proposals to change certain provisions of the MARPOL Convention. In essence, the proposals call for further acceleration of the phase-out timetable for single-hull tankers, an immediate ban on the carriage of heavy grades of oil in single-hull tankers and for the Condition Assessment Scheme (adopted in 2001 in the wake of the 1999 Erika incident) to be applied to tankers of 15 years of age and above. The proposals will be circulated among all IMO Member States and Parties to MARPOL prior to their consideration at the 49th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)…