91997E1307

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1307/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (11 April 1997)

Subject: Safety regime for fishing vessels

The Commission has submitted a proposal for a Council Directive setting up a harmonized safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over (COM(96)255 final - 96/0168 SYN) ((OJ C 292, 4.10.1996, p. 29. )), (CES 1392/96/0168 SYN).

This proposal, which forms part of an EU strategy intended to improve the safety of maritime transport, seeks to lay down a set of harmonized safety standards for fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State and third country vessels operating in the internal or territorial waters of a Member State or landing their catch in a port of a Member State.

The provision making the requirements imposed on Community vessels compulsory for third country vessels intending to fish in the internal or territorial waters of the EU or land their catch in a Community port will be difficult to enforce.

Would the Commission therefore encourage the Member States to strengthen their monitoring systems, both on land and at sea?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1306/97, E-1307/97 and E-1308/97 given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (22 May 1997)

In the explanatory memorandum of the Commission's proposal for a Council Directive setting up a harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over ((OJ C 292, 4.10.1996. )), the Commission stated that it intends to examine whether, for fishing vessels below 24 metres in length, further measures are required to complement those already included in Council Directive 93/103/EC of 23 November 1993 on the minimum health and safety requirements for work on board fishing vessels ((OJ L 307, 13.12.1993. )). The Commission envisages that a study on the issue will be undertaken in the second half of 1997.

The provisions of the Commission's proposal will give Member States the legal power to subject a fishing vessel flying the flag of a third country and operating in their internal waters or territorial seas or landing its catch in their ports to control in order to verify compliance with the safety standards required by this Directive. Logistic means for executing such controls both on-shore and off-shore are already in place in the framework of Council Directive 95/21/EC on Port State Control ((OJ L 157, 7.7.1995. )) and the control system applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy.

With regard to the collection of data on fishing vessel casualties and working accidents on board, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to Written Question E-272/96 by Mr Pronk ((OJ C 105, 3.4.1997. )).