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I refer to the article written by Mr Saviour Balzan entitled ‘The Europe I did not vote for’ published in MaltaToday 31 Oct 2004.
Mr Balzan took to task the Dr Tonio Borg, Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, for objecting to the recent EU proposal on Ship Source pollution. The exercise of the veto in the discussion of a new European Directive on Ship Source Pollution was not an exercise in futile nationalism.
The following is just one reason why not: The Framework Decision provides that a foreign ship which negligently pollutes the territorial waters of a European member state can only face a monetary penalty. A ship registered in an EU member state will, if the Decision is approved, for the same act, face not only a monetary but also a custodial sentence ie imprisonment.
This senseless discrimination against EU shipping would lead to owners of vessels switching over their registration to non-EU states with no benefit at all for prevention of oil pollution.
Objecting to such EU proposals was not an exercise in patriotism but in pure common sense.
Emanuel Abela
Director of Information
Editorial note: The fact remains that Malta together with Greece and Cyprus objected to stiffer penalties for marine polluting ships. The three countries happen to be the three member states with the largest number of registered ships in the Eu.
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