European Maritime Safety Agency

PURPOSE : to establish a European Maritime Safety Agency. CONTENT : the present proposal is part of the second set of Community measures on maritime safety following the sinking of the oil tanker Erika (the first measures were adopted by the Commission on 21 March 2000). The creation of a European Maritime Safety Agency would provide the Commission and Member States with support in applying and monitoring compliance with Community law and in assessing the effectiveness of the measures in place. The Agency will have a staff of about 50, mainly with a background in the national maritime administrations and the industry. In its proposal, the Commission sets out the following tasks for the Agency, the organisation and role of which are largely based on the Aviation Safety Agency: - technical assistance in preparing proposals for amendments to the Community legislative texts, particularly in the light of changes in the international rules; - on-the-spot inspections of the conditions under which port State control is carried out by Member States; - organisation of appropriate training activities; - collection of data and operation of databases on safety at sea that will, among other things, enable the Commission to draw up a "black list" of sub-standard shipping. All the information will be placed at the disposal of Member States' inspectors, who will thus immediately have at their finger tips all the data relating to a ship and so be able to detain it if necessary; - tasks relating to the monitoring of shipping and the management of traffic data; - assessment and auditing of the classification societies; - participation in, or coordination of, activities relating to investigations following an accident at sea; - provision of assistance to the EU candidate countries, in order to assess the manner in which their maritime administrations meet their obligations as flag States and port States. �