Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-22-Speech-2-363"
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"en.20050222.19.2-363"2
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".
Mr President, my report amends the current legislation on the recognition of seafarers' certificates, making the legislation more appropriate and ironing out the anomalies that currently exist. I had a number of meetings about the report with the Commission, the Netherlands and Luxembourg presidencies, Parliament's Secretariat, the United Kingdom Government and my colleagues, and I am grateful to everyone for their contributions. I can confirm that the Council has given me an understanding, in accordance with Article 251 of the Treaty, that if we vote according to plan tomorrow, we can adopt this without further ado.
The starting point of this legislation is safety. The safety and security of seafarers is important not just for those involved in the industry, but also for consumers, whether they are travellers on ships or buy the products of the sea.
As the Commissioner said, the maritime industry is in general decline. Going to sea is no longer the attractive career that it might have been. The decline of the shipping and fishing industries means that wages are usually low and opportunities are few. Against this there will still always be a demand for travel by sea, both for industry and passengers. In spite of diminishing fish stocks in the waters, there will always be a demand for fish. Therefore the industry will always need workers.
However, as Mr Barrot has said, there is a shortage of workers at the moment. As countries and companies strive to balance supply and demand with regard to ship crews, the role of the European Union becomes more important. We need to provide for a common European system of freedom of movement. The current lack of availability of local staff means there is a vacuum which, as in other industries, will be filled by migrant labour. These workers need protection and standards that are equal to those enjoyed by existing workers.
My report is a timely measure, updating the existing European directive that dates from 2001. It aims to reduce the current administrative burden, combat discrimination and promote the mobility of workers in the maritime sector. European rules should, as far as possible, be in line with existing international agreements. In this case, the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Convention gets rid of European red tape. This has been an important point and one that the trialogue has shared as a joint objective, which is how we have been able to reach this informal agreement before the debate. The training and certification requirements for seafarers are laid down by the International Maritime Organization, which also contains agreements on the recognition of certificates.
At the moment, the system of recognition for certificates from third countries has been simplified, which leads to a rather unsatisfactory situation in which it is easier and simpler to get recognition for certificates from outside the European Union than it is to get recognition for certificates from within the European Union. This is discriminatory, restricts the free movement of seafarers and is an anomaly which needs to be removed, especially as we are dealing with a diminishing number of workers. I would like to stress, however, that the mere possession of a certificate of any sort does not in itself give a guarantee of employment, no more than a driving licence gives you the right to a job as a driver.
On language proficiency, which has been a thorny issue, we have agreed that a satisfactory command of language is necessary. In this case, English is the language involved. This will also apply to workers from third countries who might be affected by accidents if no provision for language proficiency was established.
The prevention of fraud is a very important issue. All 25 Member States will be required to pursue their efforts in the context of the IMO towards the worldwide combating of fraud so as to ensure that safety standards are as high as possible. It is beholden on all of us to get our own fleets and regulatory processes in order, to ensure high standards throughout the IMO.
Finally, my report states that the Commission should prepare an evaluation report after five years. We heard in an earlier report of shipwrecks off the European coast, and the European Parliament has repeatedly put safety at the top of its agenda. We will be setting high standards on safety, high standards for workers and for certification. I am sure my colleagues will be able to support this report in the vote tomorrow."@en1
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