Maritime safety: Council and Parliament strike deals to support clean and modern shipping in the EU

 

Press material Tuesday 27 February 2024

● Council of the EU   27/02/2024 18:35 | Press release | Maritime safety: Council and Parliament strike deals to support clean and modern shipping in the EU   To support clean and modern shipping in the EU, the Council presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators reached provisional agreements on two pieces of legislation of the ‘maritime safety’ legislative package, namely those amending the 2009 directives on compliance with flag state requirements and on port state control. "Today’s agreements will substantially contribute to safer and cleaner maritime transport in Europe. Our marine environment will be better protected, and the highest standards of shipping will be adequately preserved with the use of modern tools and through an enhanced cooperation between competent authorities." Paul Van Tigchelt, Belgian deputy prime and minister of justice and the North Sea The revised directives achieve a careful balance between, on the one hand, the need to ensure a high quality of shipping and, on the other, the need to safeguard the competitiveness of the European shipping sector, while also maintaining reasonable costs for operators and member states' administrations. Directive on compliance with flag state requirements The directive regulates the enforcement of rules applicable to flag state at the EU level. The responsibility for monitoring the compliance of ships with IMO conventions lies with the state where the ship is registered and whose nationality the ship holds: the flag state. The legislation in question aims to ensure that member states have adequate resources to carry out their obligations as flag states correctly, effectively, and consistently. The specific objectives of the revised directive are to: update the current legislation and align it with international rules, mainly regarding the IMO instruments implementation code (‘III code’) ensure adequate inspections of flagged ships and monitoring oversight of recognised organisations working on behalf of the flag state ensure a higher uptake of digital solutions ensure a harmonised approach in the understanding, reporting, and measuring of the performance of flag states’ fleets and duties The general thrust of the Commission proposal has been retained by the provisional agreement. However, the co-legislators introduced several changes, most of them to ensure consistency with the III code. The provisional agreement limits the scope of the directive to ships engaging in international voyages. The Commission is also mandated to set up a ships information database for issuing and verifying electronic certificates. To ensure that all required information is available online, in an up-to-date form, to all port state and flag state inspectors in the EU, a digital interoperable portal will serve as a ‘bridge’ allowing inspectors to directly consult the information that is stored in national databases. Directive on port state control Port state control (PSC) is a system of inspection of foreign ships in ports of states other than the flag state by PSC officers, to verify that the competency of the master, officers and crew on board, the condition of a ship, and its equipment comply with the requirements of international conventions and, in the EU, with applicable EU law. As such, PSC is important in ensuring maritime safety and in protecting the marine environment. The revised directive mainly aims to: update EU legislation and align it with international rules and procedures as set out in the Paris memorandum of understanding (MoU) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions protect fishing vessels, their crews, and the environment, including by introducing a voluntary inspections regime for larger fishing vessels (more than 24 metres in length) ensure an efficient and harmonised approach to carrying out PSC inspections The general thrust of the Commission proposal has been retained by the provisional agreement. However, the co-legislators introduced several amendments, most of them aiming to ensure clarity and coherence with international rules and procedures, especially those of the Paris MoU. More specifically: regarding the ship risk profile, which is determined by a combination of generic, historical and environmental risk parameters, the environmental parameters will have a significant impact without disproportionately affecting the overall balance of the different parameters the quality management system (QMS) for port state administrations will be limited to the parts of the administration linked to inspections with member states having sufficient time (5 years) to introduce the QMS to align as close as possible to the usual audit cycle for the existing system of the flag state administration the training programme provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) should support the Paris MoU training policy and guarantee the voluntary basis of participation provisions regarding landlocked countries were clarified to avoid imposing a disproportionate administrative burden on member states that do not have seaports the deadline for the review of the implementation of the revised directive was set to 5 years from the date of its transposition

Library blog Tuesday 27 February 2024

● General Secretariat of the Council   New books added to the Council Library's collection - February 2024   Discover our selection of books recently added to the Council Library collection. Read full post

Press material Wednesday 28 February 2024

● Council of the EU   28/02/2024 15:37 | Press release | Bartjan Wegter to become the new EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator   Bartjan Wegter was appointed as the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (EU CTC). His five-year term will start on 1 March 2024. Mr Wegter succeeds Ilkka Salmi, who has held the office since October 2021. Bartjan Wegter is a senior Dutch diplomat, who until his appointment as EU CTC served as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to NATO. A graduate from Leyden University and the College of Europe, Mr Wegter held various multilateral and security related positions over the course of a diplomatic career spanning 25 years. The EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator is in charge of coordinating counter-terrorism work within the EU, ensuring implementation and evaluation of the EU Counter-Terrorism strategy, integrating the internal and external aspects of the fight against terrorism and improving communication between the EU and third countries. Background In the wake of the terrorist attack in Madrid on 11 March 2004, the European Council decided to establish the position of EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. The EU CTC helps advance EU efforts in combating terrorism. He briefs the Council and maintains an overview of all the instruments at the EU’s disposal with a view to reporting to the Council on a regular basis and ensuring an effective follow-up to Council decisions. His tasks also include: presenting policy recommendations and proposing priority areas for action to the Council; coordinating with the relevant preparatory bodies of the Council, as well as with the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the relevant EU bodies, offices and agencies; ensuring the EU plays an active role in the fight against terrorism; improving communication between the EU and third countries; integrating the internal and external aspects of the fight against terrorism. CV of Bartjan Wegter EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (background information)