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Barrot fights to save maritime safety laws

Justin Stares - Monday 31 March 2008

BRUSSELS transport commissioner Jacques Barrot is lobbying national capitals across the European Union in a last-ditch attempt to save two controversial laws on maritime safety. 

The Frenchman has talked with transport ministers, both on the telephone and in person, in recent days to convince them to support the draft directives on civil liability and flag state control ahead of a key council of ministers meeting next week. 

Diplomatic sources say he is looking to overcome hostility towards the flag state proposal in particular, which seeks to make International Maritime Organisation standards obligatory and therefore enforceable in the EU. 

The council meeting, next Monday, will be broadcast live over the internet. Ministers are expected to voice their concerns about handing over sovereignty to the European commission. According to one source, only four of the 27 member states: France, Italy, Bulgaria and Ireland, currently support the flag state proposal. 

Similar opposition is expected when the civil liability directive is put to ministers, again during a live question-and-answer session. In this case national governments are responding largely to criticism from industry, which is resisting a proposal to lift liability limits for ships under certain flags. 

Attempts by the Slovenian EU presidency to conjure up consensus by proposing compromises are said to have failed. The presidency has suggested watering down the directives to make them palatable to detractors, though this has ended up alienating the supporters without creating the required majority for approval. 

"There will be a public debate with lots of the ministers opposing, even though I’ve been hearing that Barrot’s making many phone calls," said one diplomat. 

"I’ve never quite seen a debate like this," said another. "Will Mr Barrot’s lobbying manage to convince anyone to come around the commission’s position?" 

The European parliament, one of the main supporters of the two proposals, is said to have pushed for a public debate as proof that ministers are blocking what the assembly believes to be crucial safety measures. 

If opposition proves overwhelming, ministers are expected to put the two proposals on hold and concentrate on five less controversial draft laws in what is a seven-strong "package" of legislation.
 
If on the other hand Mr Barrot believes there is still hope, he may urge ministers to postpone a final decision until the following council in June. Any later and the package, which is already almost three years old, could fall victim to the European parliament’s electoral cycle and the change of guard in the commission itself. 

In addition to continuous pressure on the EU’s under-staffed army of translators, there is concern that maritime experts from the member states will not be able to cope with a heavy workload in the second half of this year. 

"Mr Barrot will not want to leave Brussels without taking credit for getting these laws through," said one commentator. 

Among the other five less controversial laws, there is still disagreement between the council and parliament over the setting up of "independent" authorities with the power to decide the fate of ships in distress. 

The classification society directive, which has pitted class against equipment manufacturers over the issue of mutual recognition, is expected to go through with the principle of mutual recognition still intact.