The first item is Commission Document (2003) 556 regarding proposed regulation of civil aviation security. The introduction of regulation No. 2320 of 16 December 2002 following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 laid down the security measures that would be applied at airports across the EU in relation to, inter alia, the handing of baggage and mail. I understand that inadvertent drafting errors in the 2002 regulation have necessitated a number of amendments. The amendments confirm the measures that apply in small airports with a yearly average of no more than two commercial flights per day. The proposed amendments to the regulation also confirm that member state authorities may determine the rules applying to VIPs’ baggage and that, in general, the same security measures should apply to both baggage and mail carried by aircraft.
The current regulation sets out in Article 4 that the member states may adopt national measures in regard to the small airports based on a local risk assessment. This is on the ground that investment in expensive equipment would be inappropriate. The proposed amendment to the article of the regulation would extend this provision to designated areas of larger airports that effectively operate as autonomous airports.
I understand the Department has indicated that the regulation as worded is causing particular difficulties for airport authorities in Scotland and Scandinavia. It is proposed that the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny but that it be forwarded to the Committee on Transport for information. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Commission Document (2003) 658 concerns proposed regulation on structural assistance in the fisheries sector, particularly in regard to aquaculture. As this proposal seeks to extend the scope of the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, FIFG, to encompass the aquaculture sector, the Commission's memorandum notes that an excess of aquaculture production should not be encouraged and indeed in certain cases the rate of existing public intervention should be reduced. It develops this view by outlining that fish farming can be associated with conservation and that in these circumstances an increase in public support would be justified.
The proposal would, inter alia, permit member states to grant financial compensation to shellfish farmers where algae contamination necessitates the suspension of production. It would also allow for financial assistance for applied research initiatives in the field of aquaculture. The openings for financial assistance for the aquaculture sector outlined in the proposal are in the framework of the existing financial resources of the FIFG.
The Department's information note outlines the importance of the aquaculture sector to the Irish economy, with more than 7,000 people directly employed in the sector which contributes €85 million to the economy. The note also suggests that the sector has considerable potential in Ireland.
It is proposed that the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny, but that it be forward to the Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources for information. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Commission Document (2003) 801 concerns the proposed regulation on imports of flat rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, originating in India, Taiwan, and Montenegro; and Commission Document (2003) 804 concerns the proposed regulation on imports of flat rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel originating in Bulgaria and South Africa.
The Commission in its explanatory memorandum argues that in accordance with the fundamental principle of Community law of non-discrimination the review under way in relation to the same iron and steel products originating in these countries should be terminated. This proposal, therefore, seeks to terminate that review. It is proposed that this does not require further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Commission Document (2003) 805 concerns proposed regulation concerning autonomous Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural and industrial products. This proposal is similar to the measure considered by the sub-committee at its previous meeting - Commission Document (2003) 774 regarding the suspension of customs tariffs on the importation of certain essential items used in the production of other products. It is therefore recommended that it does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The next document is Commission Document (2003) 806 regarding proposed regulation on support for rural development for the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund. According to the Commission's memorandum to this proposal, the EU has set the meeting of Community standards in the field of the environment and health as priorities. I understand the Act of Accession provided that support in reaching such standards should be drawn from the guarantee section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund. The memorandum highlights that the new member states have already allocated substantial amounts for meeting standards from their guidance allocations. This proposal therefore seeks to permit for a two-year period for these allocations to take place. The Department has indicated that the measure would have no negative financial implications for Ireland. It is proposed that this proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The next document is Commission Document (2003) 813 regarding the proposed decision concerning internal rules of procedure for the EC-Canada Joint Customs Co-operation Committee. It is proposed that this proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Commission Document (2003) 793 concerns proposed regulation to allow stabilisation and association process countries to tender for Community assistance programmes. The June 2003 European Council in Thessaloniki invited the Commission to consider taking appropriate measures to allow the stabilisation and association process countries to participate in, inter alia, tenders and contracts under the pre-accession Community assistance programmes such as Phare, which among other things, assists states in developing their public administration and institutions to function effectively. This proposal facilitates that and does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The next document is Commission Document (2003) 48 regarding proposed regulation concerning restrictive measures in respect of Liberia that remove certain restrictions for humanitarian purposes. It is proposed that it does not require further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
It is proposed that items 1.1 to 1.9, inclusive, do not warrant further scrutiny and should be forwarded for information to sectoral committees as agreed.
The following proposals are the documents which it is proposed to refer to sectoral committees for further scrutiny, items Nos. 2.1 to 2.6. Commission document No. 155 of 2003 is the proposed directive on intermodal loading units. In its September 2001 White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010, the European Commission underlined that there was a need to curb the growth in heavy goods vehicle traffic. The Commission has therefore sought to facilitate the creation of "motorways of the sea" as one alternative route for such traffic growth.
This proposal on intermodal loading units, ILUs, aims to facilitate the transfer of freight from one transport mode to another and to enable greater security for new ILUs. Through the proposed directive, the European Committee on Standardisation would be mandated over a three year period to work out details on the standards necessary for the ILUs. A regulatory committee would then adopt the mandatory standards. The Commission proposal would also introduce periodic inspections for all ILUs.
In the absence of standardisation, it is argued in the Commission's memorandum that each ILU must be examined to determine handling technique and-or modify the handling equipment. The optimal ILU would be a European intermodal loading unit, EILU, usable for transport by road, rail, sea and inland waterway, and I understand that Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, after the Commission's adoption of the proposal, expressed the view that the measure would "make intermodality a concrete reality".
The Department of Transport, which is taking the lead on the proposal following an interdepartmental review, has indicated that the proposal has received a qualified welcome at the working group from the member states, as there is concern about the potential cost implications if the ideal standards become essential for all ILUs via the safety check requirements of the proposal. It has also been argued at the working group that the aims of the proposal could broadly be achieved through relatively minor amendments to existing measures.
While this is to some extent a technical proposal, it could have particular implications for member states largely dependent on sea transport whereby transportation costs would rise substantially from mid-2007 as a result of the adoption of this proposal. It is therefore proposed that it be sent for detailed scrutiny to the Joint Committee on Transport.
