Maritime safety: seafarers, minimum training level

By adopting the draft recommendation for second reading on the common position on the proposal for a Council directive on the minimum level of training for seafarers (94/0157SYN) yesterday, the Committee calls on the European Commission to study to what extent resources for existing funds or initiatives, including the Commission's YOUTH START initiative, may be used to develop training programmes and promote job creation for seafarers. The high rate of unemployment among young people in the EU Member States and the need to increase the proportion of EU citizens among the crews of European vessels make it absolutely essential that an action programme be adopted as a matter of urgency to provide young people in Europe with information about - and make them familiar with - seafaring, to cover training costs and to ensure from the outset that they will find jobs after the end of their training. The number of seafarers in the Member States is declining at an alarming rate. Unless specific measures are taken at EU level to check this trend, this profession will be wiped out, the rapporteur told the Committee. In the meantime, 8 Member States have welcomed the rapporteur's suggestions and the 4 others are still considering the matter. �