Over the last four years the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has been working to establish itself in the field of maritime transport safety and environmental protection, in sometimes difficult circumstances. Its successive annual reports and Internet sites describe its organisation and resources, and illustrate the importance of the increasing number of missions which it is conducting with perseverance and competence. Nevertheless, too few consult it or are aware of its encouraging progress. Analysis . . . and comment.
The European Maritime Safety Agency is on Course
Something good has at last come out of the Erika disaster. That event has led at last to the creation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), an institution insistently called for by the French Maritime Institute (Institut français de la Mer–IFM) since January 2000. The IFM put its weight behind the issue up to the end of 2002, when the Prestige disaster allowed the final touches to be added.
The regulation enabling the founding of EMSA was adopted in June 2002 as part of the ‘Erika II package’. Since then, annual programmes of work have been drawn up in consultation with the Commission and EU member states represented on the board which, over a minimum of three sessions, determines priorities and ensures their follow-up in addition to nominating the Executive Director-General.
The first meeting of the board was held in December 2002, and the Executive Director nominated in January 2003. At that time, Willem de Ruiter was the first and only civil servant in the Agency. He immediately launched himself into the job with five assistants and was able, as he says jokingly, to build his ship whilst under way–in other words, to put into effect the ever more numerous tasks given to him.
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