The International Maritime Organization (IMO), as the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the regulation of shipping engaged in international trade from the points of view of maritime safety and the prevention and control of pol- tion by ships, recognizes that these goals can only be effectively achieved if each and every link in the corresponding chain of responsibility meets fully its obli- tions. Flag, port and coastal States, as well as the shipping industry itself, all have roles to play in collectively improving safety and protecting the environment, both marine and atmospheric, through the development, adoption, and uniform imp- mentation and enforcement of, global standards. In this book, Dr. Christodoulou-Varotsi sets out to explore the extent to which the actions of the European Union and the United States, as the main originators of high standards in these fields, constitute a paradigm to the rest of the inter- tional maritime community. In this regard, while underscoring the need for a - listic, multilateral approach to maritime regulation – as epitomized by the work of IMO – the author explores how standards could be enhanced through the use of unilateral action.

The book is concerned with the harmonisation of maritime safety legal systems in Europe. It describes maritime safety legal systems in selected European countries as well as maritime safety issues from the perspective of the International Maritime Organisation, European Union, and European Free Trade Association. Distinguished scholars from Europe's leading maritime law academic centres present national perspectives of maritime safety systems, questioning whether the adopted national solutions guarantee the compatibility with IMO and EU legal regime, as well as assessing the global and EU system. Moreover, the book seeks to provide some answers as to whether the IMO goals on maritime safety are adequate in light of current safety challenges and how to achieve higher level of enforcement of internationally-recognised maritime safety standards. It will be of great assistance to those readers who need to familiarize themselves with current problems inherent in maritime safety, whether that be lawyers, scholars, professional mariners, or national institutions. Chapter 14 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This book offers unique insight into the public and private governance of international shipping from the 1970s through to the 2010s. Focusing on the part played by maritime classification societies, it highlights the role played by the European Union during this time and its influence in creating transnational maritime regulations. The emergence of the Treaty of Rome and the European Parliament in enabling market liberalisation within the shipping industry on the one hand and more stringent maritime safety regulation on the other is examined, alongside the common transport policy and enforcement of international maritime rules. Particularly attention is given to the growth of the European Union’s maritime presence, the establishment of the European Maritime Safety Agency, developments in flag state implementation, and relations between the International Maritime Organization and the European Union. This book presents a detailed guide to the European Union’s role as a maritime safety regulator and the impact this has had on the shipping industry and its governance structure. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in maritime and transport economics as well as to students of European affairs and of international relations.

This book explores the role of the European Union (EU) in the cooperation and regulation of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), from both an institutional and substantive perspective. It particularly focuses on the role of the Union in advancing the broader marine governance framework in the region. Questions investigated include: in what way does the Union participate in, or otherwise influence, the activities of States, international organisations and other actors involved in BSR cooperation and regulation, and what is the importance and substantive outcome of the Union's specific role in this respect? How has the membership of eight out of nine Baltic Sea coastal States in the EU affected cooperation in the region, in terms of substance as well as procedure, and what is the influence of the BSR over the EU? These questions are discussed from different perspectives by leading experts in both the fields of EU law and the law of the BSR.

In Regulating Vessel Discharges on the International and EU Level, Alexander Proelss and Valentin J. Schatz use the examples of scrubber washwater, sewage and ballast water to offer a detailed analysis of the regulation of marine and freshwater pollution caused by discharges from vessels.

Waste management poses increasing challenges to both the protection of the environment and to human health. To face these challenges, this book claims that environmental law needs to shift attention from media-specific pollution regimes to integrative life-cycle approaches of waste management i.e., from the prevention of waste generation to the actual handling of wastes. Furthermore, the cooperation of States and the establishment of coordinated activities is essential because states can no longer have separate standards for wastes posing transboundary risks and for ‘purely domestic’ wastes. Drawing upon both International and EU law, the book provides a detailed analysis of the regimes set up to deal with the transboundary movement of wastes and ship-source pollution, so as to elucidate the obligations and legal principles governing such regimes. It concludes that treaty obligations concerning transboundary movements of wastes are inapplicable to ship wastes while on board ships and on land. However, despite the limitations of the transboundary movement of wastes regime, the principle of Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) embodied in this regime has gradually transformed into a legal principle. ESM works to address the legal gaps in the regulation of wastes, and consequently, it provides the desired coherence to the legal system since it acts as a bridge between several regulatory and sectoral levels. Furthermore, ESM offers a new light with which to understand and interpret existing obligations, and it provides a renewed impetus to regimes that directly and indirectly govern wastes. This impetus translates into greater coordination and the establishment of cross-sectional policies. By offering alternative ways to solve problems linked to the management of ship wastes in the sea-land interface, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in International Environmental Law.

This book offers a comprehensive international law analysis of the European Union’s maritime safety legislation.