Marine equipment

Adopted was the draft report of Mr. Nikitas KAKLAMANIS (Gr, UPE) on the proposal for a Council Directive on marine equipment. But the rapporteur saw the greater part of his amendments rejected. Only a few of them finally got the support of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. The Committee did not wish to amend the main issues of the Commission's proposal. THE PROPOSAL FOR A DIRECTIVE This is the first piece of EU legislation in the field of maritime equipment. The proposal for a Directive has two objectives: on the one hand, to introduce harmonised Community legislation on safety at sea and to prevent maritime pollution, insofar as these objectives depend on the proper functioning of equipment on board ships and, on the other, by means of this harmonization, to limit the obstacles to trade in marine equipment arising from existing differences in the arrangements governing such equipment in the Member States. CONCLUSIONS A large majority in the Committee did not follow its rapporteur and rejected his amendments 1-13, 15-18, 37, 21-22 and 27-32. In conclusion, the Committee could agree with the basic points of the Council proposal and therefore responded to the Council's request for a speedy adoption of the report.