14 Maritime safety
| (27218)
5171/06
COM(05) 589
| Draft Directive amending Directive 2002/59/EC establishing a Community vessel traffic monitoring and information system
|
| Legal base | Article 80(2) EC; co-decision; QMV
|
| Department | Transport |
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 25 May 2007
|
| Previous Committee Reports | HC 34-xviii (2005-06), para 8 (8 February 2006),
HC 34-xxx (2005-06), para 2 (24 May 2006) and
HC 41-xxii (2006-07), para 2 (16 May 2007)
|
| To be discussed in Council | 7-8 June 2007
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared
|
Background
14.1 Directive 2002/59/EC established a Community vessel traffic
monitoring and information system aimed at preventing damage to
marine and coastal environments by making shipping safer. The
Commission proposes this draft Directive to amend some of the
existing provisions of Directive 2002/59/EC — notably in
respect of technical requirements for information interchange,
declarations concerning the carriage of dangerous or polluting
goods, suspect vessels, places of refuge and comitology[48]
— and to introduce new provisions — notably in respect
of carriage of Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment
on board fishing vessels and measures in ice conditions.
14.2 When we considered this proposal again last
month we noted that:
- the Presidency hopes to secure
a political agreement on the proposal at the Transport Council
on 7-8 June 2007;
- it was intended to base the agreement on an earlier
general approach, which had been an acceptable result to the Government,
and on resisting a number of unhelpful amendments from the European
Parliament; and
- there had been little consultation yet with the
fishing industry on the AIS issue.
And we:
- expressed our concern the amendments
from the European Parliament might lead to an unsatisfactory text
and urged the Government not to be rushed into a political agreement;
and
- asked for an account of the outcome of negotiations
of the European Parliament amendments and an assessment of the
then likely consequences, particularly for the fishing industry.
[49]
The Minister's letter
14.3 The Minister of State, Department of Transport
(Dr Stephen Ladyman) writes now to assure us that there is now
no likelihood of a political agreement being reached which would
include the unhelpful European Parliament amendments to which
the Government objects. Following discussion in the Council's
Shipping Working Party the Presidency's proposed text incorporates
only a very small number of uncontroversial amendments.
Conclusion
14.4 We are grateful to the Minister for this
additional report and note that this means that there are no further
likely consequences, particularly for the fishing industry, arising
from the proposal. We understand also that, although it has not
been consulted specifically on the AIS provision, the matter has
not been regarded as a significant issue by the fishing industry.
14.5 We have no further questions to ask and clear
the document.
48 Comitology is the system of committees which oversees
the exercise by the Commission of legislative powers delegated
to it by the Council and the European Parliament. Comitology committees
are made up of representatives of the Member States and chaired
by the Commission. There are three types of procedure (advisory,
management and regulatory), an important difference between which
is the degree of involvement and power of Member States' representatives. Back
49
See headnote. Back
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