European Commission Proposal for an "Erika III" Package
On October 29, the current European Commission, which according to schedule will be replaced by a new team from the end of next year, presented its final work programme. Of particular interest to tanker owners is that for 2004 the Commission confirmed its intention to present a proposal for an "Erika III" package on maritime safety before May 2004. 3) Regulation on the compliance with IMO flag State rules: the aim of this proposal will be to ensure that flag state rules are applied by all flag States in the enlarged EU. 5) Directive on Maritime Accident Investigation: this proposal will establish a legal framework for inquiries following accidents.
Human Factor is Key to Safety
Parliament's Temporary Committee on Safety at Sea was told that the EU's response to recent maritime disasters had missed the key point - the human factor. Eduardo Chagas, of the Maritime Transport Section of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), explained that the prime causes of tanker casualties were not structural but human. Grounding and collisions accounted for almost 50% of incidents, whereas only around 11% were related to hull failure. According to Chagas, human conditions in the maritime sector should be taken more seriously, especially in EU legislation. Flags of convenience and false certificates for merchant navy officers were the issues that most needed to be tackled.
Priorities of new Dutch Presidency of EC
On 1 July the Netherlands replaced Ireland as head of the European Union (EU) for the next six months. The Netherlands will be the first country to assume the Presidency of the European Union since its enlargement to a total of 25 member states. What is more, the membership of both the European Parliament and the European Commission will change during the Dutch Presidency. The Dutch will probably also have to deal with the signing of the new European Constitution. These significant changes to both the people and the structure involved in running Europe are effectively "handicaps" which could potentially impede, or at least slow down, some of the legislative plans of the Dutch Presidency.
