the Commission for the atmosphere of the European Parliament has approved of the controversial proposal for the recycling of the ships



Today the Commission for the atmosphere, the public health and alimentary safety of the European Parliament has voted in favor of the project of relation of eurodeputato Swedish Carl Schlyter (Verdi/ALE) on the regulations proposal for the recycling of the ships, legislative proposal that is advanced a year ago from the EU commission and that it has the objective to impose a demolition of the ships realized in ambientalmente sustainable way and to guarantee that the turning out materials are recycled all over the world in systems authorized from the EU ( on 23 March 2012).

"Today - Schlyter has declared - the europarlamentari have voted to widest majority in order to institute financial incentives for the sure demolition of the ships, included a bottom for the recycling financed from the same field. This will do so as that the ships that carry out transports with the EU are demolished in adapted systems for the recycling the ships. We hope that this is time included in the final legislation".

If it is previewed that the legislative provision is applied to the ships of the European Union, some dispositions instead, as the tax for the recycling of the ships at the expense of the shipowning industry (of the amount of 0,05 euros for each ton of tonnage), would be applied to the ships that independently make port of call in a port of a State EU from their flag. The shipowners will be able to choose if to pay a tax anniversary for the recycling of the ships or if to pay a tax for every port of call of one of their ships in a port EU, that it would be collected by the Harbour Authorities. The ships would come however exempted from the payment of the tax for the recycling if their shipowners will have deposited a guarantee financial institution in order to assure that the recycling and the treatment of their ships use of systems approved of from the EU for. Objective of the disposition that previews the payment of the tax for every port of call in a port EU is to return the escape of this tax impossible changing the flag of the ships and registering them outside from the EU.

The association of European ports ESPO, commenting the outcome of the today's voting, has restated that "this proposal would considerable increase the cost of port of call in the ports of the European Union, with consequent transfer of the traffic towards ports not EU, a distortion of the programming of the ports of call and a modal transfer towards modality of transport via earth" ( on 14 March 2013). "The outcome of the ballot - the general secretary of the European Sea Ports Organisation has explained, Patrick Verhoeven - does not constitute a surprise. All our efforts in order to return the eurodeputati ones aware of the serious implications of the tax have met against a wall, also with those members of the Commission for the atmosphere, the public health and the alimentary safety that have informality with the competitive nature of our field. Now we will intensify our actions of lobby in order to persuade the other eurodeputati and Member States to reject this harmful proposal".

The ballot on the relation by the European Parliament in plenary sitting is attended for next the 11 june.