Tag: EU

In Lithuania, a 1996 law, as amended, governs the land lease in maritime ports The European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion to Lithuania for maintaining a priority right for cargo-handling operators renewing their port land lease contract upon its expiry. Cargo-handling operators from other Member States wishing to establish themselves in Lithuania might be discouraged from doing so because of the barrier this provision raises on the market for cargo-handling services. This is the second stage in the infringement procedure. If Lithuania fails to react satisfactorily, the Commission may refer the matter to the EU Court of Justice.The EU rulesThe European Union requires the elimination of restrictions on freedom of establishment. The Treaty precludes any national measure which, even though not discriminatory on grounds of nationality, is liable to hinder or render less attractive the exercise of the freedom of establishment that is guaranteed by the Treaty.The access to port land is a precondition for providing cargo-handling services1. As a consequence, in principle, it also is a precondition for choosing the place of establishment in an EU port by cargo-handling operators. Therefore, a competitive, transparent, non-discriminatory and reviewable procedure for land leasing is the best way of securing a ...

Seanergy 2020 Report on how to use sea space The European Commission needs to encourage EU Member States to carry out maritime spatial planning, and co-operate on how they use their sea space, due to the growing number of users of Europe's seas - including offshore renewable energy - a new report, co-financed by the European Commission's Intelligent Energy Europe programme, finds.The report - Seanergy 2020 launched today at EU Sustainable Energy Week in Brussels - finds that currently there is little in the way of maritime spatial planning (MSP) in Europe's maritime states but Member States sharing the same sea basin would benefit from co-operation - and the European Commission could provide MSP through a Directive or guidelines."It is necessary to act now" said Dorina Iuga, Senior Project Manager at European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). "MSP will guarantee sea space for offshore renewables and would give the industry more confidence to invest. The EU should draft an MSP Directive or guidelines requiring Member States to implement national sea space planning in cooperation with the other Member States sharing a sea basin."The Dogger Bank area in the North Sea, stretching over four countries and with a multitude of sea uses ...

On 19 June, the European Parliament and the Council (Member States) reached a first reading agreement on the revision of Directive 2008/106/EC on the minimum level of training of seafarers.To recall, the European Commission put forward a proposal to revise this directive in September 2011. The main aim of the revision is to bring the existing Directive in line with the 2010 Manila amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).The Commissions proposal suggested a one-to-one transposition of the Manila amendments into EU law, marginally adapting the STCW provision on watchkeeping to ensure consistency with Directive 1999/63/EC on working time for seafarers. In addition, the Commissions proposal suggested that Member States should provide information on seafarers certificates to the Commission for statistical purposes.The Council and the Parliament endorsed most of the Commissions proposal, while making slight adjustments requiring the anonymisation of certain seafarers data and limiting the delegation of power to the Commission for the collection of statistical data.The agreed text needs to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council before the new Directive can enter into force. This procedure is merely a formality and can be expected to ...

Based on Crime, Trafficking and Networks book recently published The EU special envoy for Somalia is looking into a fresh report that pirates are in business with Italian gangsters on toxic waste.The Paris-based criminologist, Michel Koutouzis, who carries out investigations for the UN and for EU institutions, described the problem in a new book - Crime, Trafficking and Networks - published in May.He said organised crime groups in south Italy - the Camorra, 'Ndranghetta and La Sacra Corona Unita - supply Somalian warlords with black market small arms from the Western Balkans in return for permission to dump waste."Tonnes of waste are discharged every year off the coasts of Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea under the noses of countless warships which control sea freight in the Read Sea and the Gulf of Aden," he explained.He noted that part of the income - worth "hundreds of millions of euros a year" - is laundered via the tourist industry in Kenya and Tanzania.He added the practice has been going on for years: a UN report in 2005 said the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami broke up deposits of lead, cadmium and mercury as well as hospital and chemical waste, which washed up on the ...

Yet another result for the Danish EU Presidency in the maritime field The Danish EU Presidency has conducted the negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament that have now resulted in an agreement to amend the EU directive on the minimum level of training of seafarers.The agreement ensures the incorporation into EU legislation of the most recent amendments to the UN International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. Thus, the EU countries are obliged to meet international regulations. This will help ensure improved training, health checks and amended regulations on hours of rest as well as the introduction of blood alcohol concentration limits for seafarers.Minister for Business and Growth Ole Sohn:"With this agreement, we strengthen the competences of European seafarers through improved training. The new regulations will help ensure that, also in the future, we have many skilled seafarers from European countries. Competent seafarers are decisive for our ability to retain our competitiveness in the maritime field. This means that we can continue to create growth in a growth industry of great importance - not least to Denmark."The agreement will be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council later this ...

Combating Somali Piracy: the EU's Naval Operation Atalanta - Follow-up report The House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on External Affairs will hold a follow-up inquiry on Somali piracy which will open with evidence from witnesses including Nick Harvey MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces and Captain David Reindorp of the Royal Navy.Parliament TV(audio only): Combating Somali Piracy: the EU's Naval Operation Atalanta - Follow-up reportEU Sub-Committee C - External AffairsThe Committee published Combating Somali Piracy: the EU's Naval Operation Atalanta in April 2010. The report called for both a more robust approach to be taken to prosecution and punishment of pirates as well as more effort to tackle the root causes of extreme poverty in Somalia in order to change the perceived risk/reward ratio for potential pirates.In their follow-up inquiry the Committee will consider what progress has been made by Operation Atalanta and whether the threat of Somali piracy is being reduced.Inquiry: Combating Somali Piracy: The EU's Naval Operation Atalanta - A Follow-up inquiry The Committee will hold their first evidence sessions in the inquiry on Thursday 14 June in Committee Room 2A of the House of Lords. The full details of the sessions are:9:00am - Mr. Jean-Paul ...

EU is looking to increase the pressure militarily The European Union is aiming to step up the pressure on the "business model" used by pirates hijacking ships off Somalia, be that in terms of their financial transactions, their procurement of assets, their seizing of ships, the negotiation process and the money they obtain from ransoms.Speaking at a press conference here June 19, British Rear Adm. Duncan Potts, commander of the EU Naval Force operating off Somalia, explained that the EU is looking to "increase the pressure militarily and to support the EU's special representative for the Horn of Africa to enhance governance and security and provide alternative livelihoods for Somalians."In March, the EU extended EU NAVFOR's mandate to 2014 and expanded the area of operations to include the Somalia coast as well as its territorial and internal waters, enabling it to disrupt pirate logistical dumps.Potts said he would disrupt such areas "when the conditions necessitate using it," and that care would be taken to ensure that innocent coastal communities are not affected."The beach is a critical capability . They must come from and go back to the beach," he said.In the first half of 2011, 28 ocean-going merchant ships were ...

Consequences of a terrorist attack on a tanker carrying LNG Brussels is to study the consequences of a terrorist attack on a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, oil or chemicals.The European Commission's mobility and transport directorate has called for tender documents on the study - the latest in a series of maritime security reports - to be submitted by August 15.The purpose of the research is to analyse the "vulnerability of LNG, oil and chemical tankers with respect to terrorist attacks", evaluate the consequences and to make proposals for appropriate measures of protection.A source within the directorate stressed there was no perceived heightened security threat to tankers, and the study was "purely a matter of procedure".In its tender document for the year-long study, the commission states: "The European Union is largely depending on energy imports. Alongside with oil tankers, gas tankers transporting LNG/LPG will become crucial for ensuring the energy supply and both the number of tankers and the number of LNG/LPG port facilities will substantially increase."Furthermore, the EU is also a major trade partner regarding chemicals, refinery products, fertiliser and gasoline, a significant part of which is transported by ship."With their inflammable, explosive and/or toxic products, these tankers may ...

In 2011, attacks January - May was 176, while this year is 30 The number of pirate attacks between January and May this year has reduced considerably when compared to the same period last year. "Piracy is weakening and this is evident by the statistics. In 2011, the total attacks between January and May was 176, while during the same period this year it is 30.In 2009 it was 163 and in 2010 it was 174,- said Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis, force commander, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) operation Atalanta (Task Force 465) at a press briefing at the French Embassy yesterday. Also in 2012 the number of ships that pirates have captured during the same period has reduced to five while it was 25 last year.The number of disruptions (an action that renders a pirate group incapable of further pirate operations) by EU Navfor stood at 11 this year.As part of a comprehensive approach, the EU launched European Naval Force Somalia -" Operation Atalanta (EU Navfor -" Atalanta) in 2008. Since the launch, EU NAVFOR -" Operation Atalanta continues to successfully perform its mission and contributes to improving maritime security off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian ...

Indonesia may give greater priority to Asian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern palm oil buyers Indonesia may give greater priority to Asian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern palm oil buyers because of possible new environmental regulations in the United States and Europe, the Indonesian palm oil association (Gapki) said."We threat (threaten) EU and US to move our product to other regions because of too many non-tariff barriers," said Gapki official Tofan Mahdi.The Southeast Asian palm oil industry failed in late January to meet greenhouse gas saving standards to qualify for the U.S. renewable fuels programme.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said palm oil converted into biofuels in Indonesia and Malaysia cut up to 17 percent of climate warming emissions, falling short of a 20 percent requirement to enter the world's largest energy market.Gapki officials fear U.S. efforts to limit palm oil's uses based on environmental concerns could spread to Europe.Source: Reuters