New approach to safety of small passenger ships

The European Commission has today adopted a proposal to coordinate safety rules for small passenger ships (length below 24 meters).

It is the first time a common safety framework for all small passenger ships is presented at EU level.

The proposal recommends Member States to follow common safety goals and functional requirements for small passenger ships - such as for ship design, fire hazards and emergency situations. These requirements, if endorsed and further developed by Member States, will provide a common level of safety for passengers sailing domestically and facilitate access for manufacturers and operators to the wider EU market.

The proposal follows on the recently improved rules on passenger ship safety and the recommendations of the Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) check, which recommended to develop a new, performance based approach to the safety of small passenger ships.

About European Commission

The European Commission plays an active role in developing the EU's overall strategy and in designing and implementing EU policies. It evaluates and reports on its policies on a regular basis. Along with the other main EU institutions, the European Commission develops the overall strategy and political direction of the EU. Every five years, at the beginning of a new Commission term, the president of the Commission also determines the political priorities for its upcoming term of office. The Commission turns these priorities into concrete actions on a yearly basis through an annual work programme, which sets out a plan of action for the next twelve months.