The European Parliament adopted by 689 votes to 1, with 2 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the amendments to the Agreement for co-operation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (Bonn Agreement) with regard to the extension of the scope of application of that Agreement and on the accession of the Kingdom of Spain to that Agreement.

Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the amendments to the Agreement.

The Agreement for co-operation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (Bonn Agreement) is a regional accord to protect the marine environment and the interests of the coastal States that are Contracting Parties. It focuses on combating pollution in the North Sea as well as on safeguarding coastal areas from maritime disasters and long-lasting pollution caused by ships and offshore installations.

The MARPOL amendment extends the scope of the Agreement to air pollution from ships as regulated by Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention.

The Spain Amendment concerns the geographical extension of the Agreement following the invitation made to Spain to accede to this regional accord.

The Contracting Parties adopted these amendments unanimously at their meeting on 9-11 October 2019.

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report by Pascal CANFIN (Renew Europe, FR) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the amendments to the Agreement for co-operation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (Bonn Agreement) with regard to the extension of the scope of application of that Agreement and on the accession of the Kingdom of Spain to that Agreement.

The committee recommended that Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the amendments to the agreement.

The Agreement for cooperation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (Bonn Agreement) is a regional agreement which aims to protect the marine environment and the interests of the coastal states which are Contracting Parties. It focuses on combating pollution of the North Sea and preserving coastal areas from maritime disasters and long-term pollution from ships and offshore installations.

Through active cooperation and providing mutual assistance, the Contracting Parties to the Agreement carry out surveillance as an aid to detecting and combating pollution and to preventing violations of antipollution regulations.

On 7 October 2019, the Council adopted a decision authorising the Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the Union, amendments to the material and geographical scope of the Agreement (the so-called ‘MARPOL

amendment’ and ‘Spain amendment’, respectively):

- the MARPOL Amendment extends the scope of the Agreement to air pollution from ships as regulated by Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention. It aims to improve cooperation and coordination between the Contracting Parties in combating unlawful air emissions from shipping with a view to limiting the adverse effects of the combustion of marine fuels with high sulphur and nitrogen content on human health, biodiversity and the marine environment as a whole;

- the Spain amendment concerns the extension of the geographical scope of the agreement following the proposal made to Spain to accede to this regional agreement.

The Contracting Parties unanimously adopted these amendments at their meeting on 9-11 October 2019.

According to the rapporteur, the adoption of the MARPOL amendment and the amendment relating to Spain would be a major step towards a higher level of protection of the marine environment in a greater geographical area of the North Sea area.

PURPOSE: to approve amendments to the Agreement for cooperation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea by oil and other harmful substances (Bonn Agreement) with regard to the extension of its material and geographical scope of application.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: the Bonn Agreement aims to combat pollution in the North Sea Area and safeguard coastal areas from maritime disasters and chronic pollution from ships and offshore installations. The European Union is a Contracting Party to the Agreement. Amendments were made to the agreement in 1989. These amendments entered into force on 1 April 1994.

On 7 October 2019, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the Union, an amendment to extend the scope of the Bonn Agreement with a view to improving cooperation on surveillance with regard to the requirements of Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (the "MARPOL Convention") and the extension to the Kingdom of Spain under Article 20 of the Agreement.

The amendments are now submitted for conclusion by the Union.

CONTENT: the proposed Decision provides that the Council authorises the Commission to conclude, on behalf of the Union, the envisaged amendments to the Bonn Agreement relating to the extension of the material scope of the Agreement as regards Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention and the accession of the Kingdom of Spain to the Agreement.

The amendments envisaged are the following:

The ‘MARPOL amendment’ – amending the substantive scope of the Agreement

This amendment seeks to improve cooperation and coordination between the Contracting Parties in combating unlawful air emissions caused by shipping in order to limit the negative consequences of the combustion of marine fuels with high sulphur or nitrogen content for human health, biodiversity and the entire marine environment. The adoption of the decision to conclude the amendment on the extension of the mandate of the Bonn Agreement in relation to Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention would improve joint surveillance, monitoring and reporting of ship emissions in the North Sea area.

The ‘Spain amendment’ – amending the geographical scope of the Agreement

This amendment extends the geographical scope of the Agreement to cover the area between the zone of joint responsibility of France and the United Kingdom and the new zone of responsibility of Spain in order to close any gaps between the old boundary of the Bonn Agreement and the new zone of responsibility of Spain. France has accepted the introduction of a new zone of responsibility of France.