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Document 92000E003928

    WRITTEN QUESTION E-3928/00 by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission. Abandonment of seafarers in EU ports.

    OV C 187E, 3.7.2001, p. 85–86 (ES, DA, DE, EL, EN, FR, IT, NL, PT, FI, SV)

    European Parliament's website

    92000E3928

    WRITTEN QUESTION E-3928/00 by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission. Abandonment of seafarers in EU ports.

    Official Journal 187 E , 03/07/2001 P. 0085 - 0086


    WRITTEN QUESTION E-3928/00

    by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission

    (13 December 2000)

    Subject: Abandonment of seafarers in EU ports

    The scandalous abandonment of crew members and ships by some shipowners is one of the many violations of seafarers' rights reported in recent years and testifying to the decline in the living and working conditions of these workers.

    International solutions are needed to this problem, but above all recognition by the European Union via special legislation and closer cooperation between states.

    Should the European Union not introduce safeguards to prevent seafarers from extreme situations of this kind?

    Will this Commission remedy this shortcoming by proposing legislation to make binding the provisions of ILO Convention 163, ILO Recommendation 173 on seafarers' welfare and ILO Convention 166 on the repatriation of seafarers?

    Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

    (18 January 2001)

    The Commission recognises that the abandonment of crews and their vessels by certain shipowners is a serious problem requiring the attention of international and Community bodies alike.

    The Commission is paying close attention to work being carried out at on this issue at international level by the joint International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) expert working group. The abandonment of seafarers is indeed an international problem, and one that cannot be solved at Community level without taking the international context into account.

    It is certainly generally important for Member States to apply the ILO Conventions on seafarers' welfare properly in order to improve living and working conditions on board ships. However, this in itself is not enough to solve the problem of abandoned seafarers when the ships concerned do not fly a Community flag.

    That is why the Commission intends first of all to examine the conclusions reached by the abovementioned expert working group before considering the expediency of acting at Community level.

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