Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the Port State Control Committee of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control

The EU regime on port state control (PSC) is set out in Directive 2009/16/EC (as amended), which re-cast and reinforced the previous EU legislation in this field in place since 1995. The EU regime has been based on the pre-existing structure of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (PMoU) on Port State Control which has existed since 1982. Directive 2009/16/EC (as amended) incorporates the procedures and tools of the PMoU. All maritime EU Member States as well as Canada, Russia, Iceland and Norway are members of the PMoU. The European Union is not a member of the PMoU.

Since 1 January 2011 a new inspection regime (NIR) for Port State Control is in place, both in the EU and the PMoU frameworks. In order for the NIR to function a certain number of decisions have to be taken each year in the context of the PMoU. These decisions are taken by consensus at the annual "Port State Control Committee" (PSCC) which meets in May of each year. By virtue of Directive 2009/16/EC decisions taken by the appropriate competent body of the PMoU become binding on EU Member States.

Pursuant to Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the position to be adopted on behalf of the Union in international organisations such as the PMoU when they are called upon to adopt acts having legal effects, must be adopted by Council Decision, on a proposal from the Commission. It is proposed that the EU position for PSCC is established according to a two tier approach. A Council Decision sets out the guiding principles and orientations of the Union's position on a multiannual basis, whereas it is thereafter adjusted for each annual PSCC meeting by Commission non-papers to be discussed in the Council Shipping Working Party.

This proposal aims at setting out the Union's position for PSCC for the period 2016-2019. It also aims at incorporating the principles and orientations of European Union policy to improve maritime safety, pollution prevention and on-board living and working conditions. The Union's position also takes into account the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty.

EUR-Lex: COM(2015)664: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2015:664:FIN

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