State of play, main conclusions, outlook

The fishing sector is widely recognised as among the most hazardous professions. The Commission is currently evaluating the Fisihing Vessel Safety Directive, aiming:

1. To establish the current situation within Member States in terms of its implementation, including enforcement;

2. To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the Directive, its coherence with related EU and international legal instruments and the added value of an EU-wide legislative framework;

3. To identify gaps and possible areas for improvement in technical, operational and enforcement provisions at EU level particularly with reference to technical developments since 1993 in merchant shipping safety, which can be applied to fishing vessels;

4. To explore the scope which currently excludes smaller fishing vessels (less than 24 metres), the sector in which a major proportion of accidents occur.