Council wants negotiated solution to Erika package

摘要

The European Parliament's tactic to save the two Erika III legislative proposals cast aside by the Council is not to the liking of EU transport ministers. During the informal Council in La Rochelle, on 2 September, they made known their doubts - according to an expert questioned by Europolitics Environment - on MEPs' willingness to transfer a part of the amendments to the proposals deadlocked by the Council into their second reading reports on other, non-deadlocked proposals from the Erika package. The ministers are thinking rather of another solution, which will be examined in the Transport Council on 9 October in Luxembourg. The Parliament's tactic, however, was validated on 4 September by the Transport Committee, which gathered in Brussels to adopt the second reading reports on the Erika III package (further details in our next edition). After the debates over the revision of the Eurovignette Directive, 2 September in La Rochelle was principally dedicated to the future of the proposal on the civil liability of ship owners in the event of maritime pollution and the proposal on the obligations of the flag state. To recall, the stake is to transfer two International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conventions into Community law. But the vast majority of member states favour an international solution to a Community solution and reject what they consider as a transfer of competences. These positions, expressed during the Transport Council in April were reiterated in La Rochelle. With, according to the expert, an "opening" in that the delegations said that they are ready to look for a negotiated solution with the Parliament, and so not simply shelve the two texts or leave them to gather dust on the negotiating table.