Commission sends a formal request to Ireland on port state control

The European Commission sent (Thursday) a reasoned opinion to the Irish authorities for failing to properly implement the EU directive on port state control.

This directive is a core instrument in the field of maritime safety, aimed at fighting substandard shipping in the European Union. The Republic of Ireland is required to comply with the request within two months, failing which the case may go before the European Court of Justice. The EU Directive aims to reduce substandard shipping in Community waters and after a visit from the Commission to Ireland findings indicated that Ireland was not meeting its mandatory requirements in this directive.

The Commission considers that Ireland does not fully meet its obligations under the directive, in particular by failing to identify all vessels entering its ports and by not imposing penalties in practice. This lack of compliance with the port state control directive may endanger maritime safety with the risks this implies for the environment.

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