Oil pollution: fund for damage compensation in European waters, package Erika II

Following an exchange of views on civil liability and compensation for victims in the event of oil

pollution at sea, the Presidency has come to the following conclusions:

- it reiterates former conclusions on maritime safety, most particularly those adopted in the aftermath of the Prestige accident both by the TTE Council and the European Council;

- it stresses, in the interest of victims, the need to ensure appropriate compensation for damage caused by oil pollution from ships by actively working to ensure that effective financial responsibility is exercised on the part of those involved in transportation of oil by sea, and the need for appropriate revision of the relevant provisions of the 1992 Civil Liability (CLC) and 1992 International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) Conventions;

- it welcomes the ongoing talks on burden sharing and encourages industry to pursue these in the interest of all;

- it urges all Member States to ratify the IOPCF Supplementary Fund Protocol of May 2003, if they have not yet done so;

- it urges Member States to seek a common EU approach ahead of the forthcoming intersessional IOPCF Working Group meeting in February 2005.