EMEA News
EU Mulls New Rules on Maritime Disasters
The European Parliament is considering strengthening laws regarding shipping disasters to increase compensation and make prosecution of polluters easier, European political news site TheParliament.com reports.
European political leaders, including French MEP Corinne Lepage, who chairs parliament's seas and coastal areas intergroup, discussed the issue at a recent hearing.
"Making people fully aware of the potential costs of their action is the best form of prevention," Lepage said.
"It is also essential to clarify the relevant jurisdiction to rule on the damage and I uphold the idea that the state that is the injured party must have jurisdiction to prosecute those responsible."
The hearing comes after a September ruling by France's top appeals court that oil giant Total could be held responsible for the 1999 shipwreck of oil tanker Erika, which spilled more than 30,000 tonnes of fuel on France's Atlantic coast, as French international news site France 24 reported.
The company was fined €375,000 ($496,000) and ordered to pay civil plaintiffs €200 million ($264 million).
At the recent hearing, another French MEP, Isabelle Thomas, also said she supports new measures around pollution.
"At present, there is a gap between the law as it exists and what societies throughout Europe expect from it," she said.
"Firstly, any such convictions are a legitimate clampdown on those who make regional and local authorities bear the burden caused by their reckless risk-taking.
"Secondly, the cost will deter carriers from carrying out all forms of dumping and will thus serve as a prevention tool."
