The European Commission proposes that all passenger ships below 24 meters in length be excluded from the scope of the Directive on safety goals and functional requirements for passenger ships. The Commission will also organise a questionnaire in preparation for separate safety instructions.
The proposed amendment would apply to the safety package on passenger ships released by the European Commission in June 2016. The Directive proposals of the package have been approved but not yet adopted.
The Commission's argument for the amendment is that it has proved difficult to implement the safety rules and standards Directive on small passenger ships, because no specific safety aspects or requirements have been defined for them.
The proposal to amend the safety regulations follows on the Commission's Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) Programme. The Programme aims to simplify EU law, reduce the administrative burden and the costs accrued by regulation without undermining policy objectives.
In connection with the amendment proposal, the Commission has also started to draft safety regulations for passenger ships below 24 meters in length. The period for the related public consultation will last until 31 October 2017. The questionnaire is in English but replies can also be sent in Finnish or Swedish.
Inquiries:
Ministry of Transport and Communications:
Katja Viertävä, Senior Government Adviser, tel. +358 295 34 2612, [email protected]
Finnish Transport Safety Agency:
Mikko Vartiainen, Senior Officer, tel. +358 29 5345 235, [email protected]
Sten Sundberg, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 29 5346 463, [email protected]
Tuomas Routa, Director, Maritime Sector, tel. +358 29 5346 456, [email protected], Twitter: @TuomasRouta
