calls the EU to step up its efforts on blue diplomacy and streamline it in its foreign policy and external relations, trade and development policies. In this context, the Committee proposes to pay special attention to blue diplomacy in sub-Saharan Africa;
asks for the protection of wetlands and biodiversity as an essential part of blue diplomacy and encourages the establishment of a macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean region;
calls for the right funding to improve the existing facilities and infrastructure to ensure fair access to clean water and sanitation for the entire global population.
believes that the revision of the flag State requirements Directive must ensure that flag States fully implement seafarers' rights onboard their ships. The real challenges are strong flag State control, as well as strong port State control in relation to the requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 which goes hand in hand with technical assistance and training provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), International Labour Organization (ILO), World Maritime University (WMU), International Training Centre of the ILO, International Maritime Law Institute etc.
advocates that the amendments of the Directive must take into account core EU policy priorities related to the Green Deal, the EU and UN Sustainable Development Goals agenda, human and workers' rights and social cohesion. Thus, the revised parts of the Directive must provide clarity on minimum working conditions for seafarers, the conservation of waters and fish, and environmental protection as a whole.
supports the objectives of providing Member States' accident investigation bodies with further legal clarity and capacity to improve their operations and timely reporting. In particular, cooperation and mutual assistance of EU Member States in safety investigations should be stepped up in light of new maritime security challenges.
The Committee welcomes the proposal to expand the activities of EMSA; however, it has serious doubts as to whether EMSA has the human and financial resources to perform these additional activities properly. The proposed increase in EMSA's resources is insufficient given the extent of the proposed increase in the Agency's tasks and the scale of the EU's ambitions for maritime policy.
The EESC welcomes the proposal and recognises the European Commission's efforts to strengthen environmental protection, in particular by making the preservation of the seas a high priority and by introducing penalties for pollution offences in European seas.
The EESC acknowledges that it is important to have dissuasive and proportionate penalties across the EU for ship-source pollution offences. Establishing such minimum requirements as a reference point and holding the polluter accountable by applying the "polluter pays" principle could be beneficial and have a strong deterrent effect in the EU.
considers it crucial to build a level playing field for all operators in the occasional transport sector, enabling fair competition.
highlights that the attempts to circumvent existing rules on drivers' working conditions must be firmly tackled by all the competent national and European authorities to make the sector, characterised by significant staff shortages, more attractive to work in.
calls for an earlier date of entry into force to be set for both the changes in the calculation of tolls based on the energy efficiency of trailers and semi-trailers and the mandatory taking into account of the energy efficiency of trailers and semi-trailers in determining which charging class should apply to vehicle-trailer combinations once the CO2-based differentiation of charges becomes applicable to motor vehicles. The date proposed by the European Commission (1 July 2030) should therefore be brought forward.
Key to the Drone Strategy 2.0 are two related drivers: building the EU's drone services market and strengthening European civil, security and defence industry capabilities and synergies. To encourage private investment and the development of new innovative services for various sectors, legal and technical certainty should be ensured.
The development of the drone market requires regional and local planning that takes into account mobility as a service with a multi-domain approach. As integrated land, air and maritime dimensions could become an important factor in territorial development, proper links and coordination will be necessary with national and local authorities.
ensure the TLF meets the various expectations of consumers concerning textile labels, which should first and foremost offer basic and easily understandable information.
strive for an EU-wide and global alignment of labelling requirements on indications of origin, care instructions, size and fibre composition;
prevent further offshoring by establishing labelling requirements that are flexible enough to address SMEs' capacities.
