Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-18-Speech-2-125"
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"en.20031118.5.2-125"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, thank you for the dynamism you have injected into your work. The task of politicians and policy-makers in the field of security measures, in this case in ports and on ships, consists in striking the difficult balance between workability and the desired effect of the intended measures. This is a thankless task from the outset, for the port authorities and shipping companies that are required to apply the new regulations will always experience these as a nuisance. For the legislator, the question does remain whether security in the maritime sector will actually increase as a result of this. So far, this sector has enjoyed a sound reputation where security is concerned. If this were to remain so thanks to this package of legislation, the question is whether we in Europe will receive credit for it. To wait and see is not an option. This is why it is particularly important for this package to be applied promptly, but not at the expense of everything else. I find it strange that we in Europe are going further than what we agreed in the framework of the IMO, especially by also wanting to apply the measures to our local shipping. It is worth noting that America, which forced this package through in the context of IMO, does not do this itself.
Why is Europe aiming so high? An administrative burden on our local shipping will lead to goods being transported through Europe with more difficulty. This particularly affects the small ports, with only a few hundred thousand euros in turnover. More obstacles in the transport of goods means that the transport sector, as a rule, will incur additional costs. Additional costs are inefficient, and inefficiency means that the Lisbon objectives are certainly not moving any closer.
At that rate, we will never be competitive at an international level. Meanwhile, ships sail up and down the east and west coast of America, carrying goods, without encountering any port authorities or customs officials. In Europe, this will be a different story anyhow, as our internal market does not, unfortunately, apply to our coastal strip. Local shipping between the Netherlands and Belgium does not exist. This is still considered international, but will thus from now on also fall within the internal market. The internal maritime borders should therefore be lifted.
Finally, I should like to say that, in general, I will be supporting the amendments tabled by the Group of the Party of European Socialists. I will withdraw my Amendment 42 because Amendment 65, tabled by the Group of the Party of European Socialists, is preferable."@en1
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