As announced on the website of ISRA, EU-Commissioner Karmenu Vella responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will visit the advanced ship recycling facilities of Galloo (Ghent) on 8 of January 2019.

This visit can be seen as a result of the excellent bilateral contacts between ISRA and the EU- services.

Undoubtedly ISRA will also take this opportunity to point out some actual issues. ISRA will raise the issue that applicants for the EU-list need to fulfill all the demands, especially those requirements concerning all aspects of the beaching i.e. preventing waste being in contact with surface water (through tidal waves).

The facilities in Gent will illustrate that numerous prevention measures have been taken. The recycling process in Ghent takes place at high standards and show that a competitive disadvantage occurs when these requirements are not applicable for new entries on the EU-list.

ISRA invites their members to propose issues that can be raised at this high level meeting and will share the outcome of this visit with its members.

Reinoud Pijpers, Director ISRA