Maritime safety: The Council and the Parliament reached provisional agreement on the revision of the directive on the investigation of maritime accidents.

The Council and the Parliament reached provisional agreement on 13.02.2024 on the revision of the directive on the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector, as part of the "maritime safety" legislative package.

The revised directive aims to simplify and clarify the current regime governing the investigation of maritime accidents. The revision extends the scope of the legislation to include larger fishing vessels, enhances the capacity of accident investigation bodies, and updates various definitions and references to relevant EU legislation and IMO regulations.

The revised directive forms part of the "maritime safety" package submitted by the Commission on 1 June 2023. The five legislative proposals, including on ship-source pollution, compliance with flag state requirements, port state control and EMSA, aim to modernise EU rules on maritime safety and reduce water pollution from ships.

The provisional agreement now has to be endorsed by both co-legislators before final adoption of the legislative act. After the entry into force of the revised directive, Member States will have 30 months to transpose its provisions into their national legislation.