The Council of the European Union announced on Tuesday a new agreement with the European Parliament on amending current EU legislation on the safety of sea passenger services within the bloc.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2022) The Council of the European Union announced on Tuesday a new agreement with the European Parliament on amending current EU legislation on the safety of sea passenger services within the bloc.
"The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on amending the current legislation in order to improve stability requirements for 'ro-ro' (roll-on/roll-off) passenger ships. The amended directive will play an important part in ensuring the safety of these vessels in the EU, in accordance with the new international standards in the field," the Council said in a statement, published on the official website.
According to the Council, the new legislation is designed to make passenger ships within the EU meet international standards.
"The new legislation ensures, as far as possible, consistency with international standards for the stability of damaged passenger ships, which were recently updated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the 2020 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea," the statement read.
The new agreement will improve travel safety for EU citizens using small boats and ferries between EU member-states.
The safety of sea passenger services rose to the top of the agenda within the EU recently amid a scandal around saving refugees in distress in the Mediterranean Sea.
On October 25, the International Organization for Migration said that at least 2,836 deaths and disappearances have been documented on the central Mediterranean route of since 2021. Many deaths on migration routes to EU destination countries could be prevented by providing prompt and effective assistance to migrants, the organization noted.
