EU states' final warning on ship pollution fines

2438, 28/11/07

The European commission decided to issue final written warnings on Wednesday to eight EU governments for failing to set out penalties for pollution from shipping.

EU countries should have fully transposed a 2005 EU directive on pollution from shipping and penalties for infringement by April (EED 22/02/05 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/18262). Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and the UK all failed to meet that deadline and will receive final warnings to align their national law with the directive or face a trip to the European court of justice (ECJ).

Last week an ECJ advisor recommended rejecting a legal challenge to the directive mounted in the UK. A group of shipping industry trade associations seeking to have the directive annulled claim that it breaches liability rules established by the 1973 Marpol convention, which has higher legal status (EED 20/11/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/24324).

Follow-up: European commission http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm, tel: +32 2 299 1111,

plus press release http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1796.

ENDS Europe Daily is Europe's leading environmental news service. A free trial is available by clicking on the following link:http://www.endseuropedaily.com/web/helcom.