Press Release: Maritime Safety traffic: Commission takes eight Member States to the European Court of Justice

The Commission decided on 15 December 2004 to take Belgium, Greece, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice. They failed to implement key EU legislation on vessel traffic monitoring and information systems which had been adopted by the EU in the wake of the Erika accident. The aim of the infringed legislation is to enhance the safety of maritime traffic by improving the response of authorities to incidents, accidents and potentially dangerous situations at sea, therefore contributing to better prevention and detection of pollution by ships.