Harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over

The Committee on Transport and Tourism has adopted the draft recommendation for second reading by Fernand LE RACHINEL (NI,F), on the Council's common position on a directive setting up a harmonized safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in lenght and over. Mr Le Rachinel was pleased that the boundary line roughly following the 60th parallel, north of which special measures apply to reflect geographical and climatic nature of the region, has been slightly amended to take into account of the territorial waters of the member States. On the other hand, he insisted that members States are bound by the Treaties to fix coordinaded penalties for infringements so as not to impede the proper operation of the internal market or distort competition. �