Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 84 (2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission^f1,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament^f2,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee^f3,

Whereas the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas 1974) drafted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), requires contracting parties to arrange for the establishment and maintenance of such aids to navigation as the volume of traffic and the degree of risk warrant;

Whereas, in its Resolution A.666 (16), the IMO refers both to the need for a worldwide radionavigation system and to the possibility of regional applications of terrestrial systems such as Chayka, Decca Navigator, Loran-C, Omega and Differential Omega;

Whereas the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities confirms that, in order to meet the needs of maritime navigation, a terrestrial radionavigation system is necessary until general-purpose satellite systems are widely available, and also thereafter in parallel to such systems for the foreseeable future;

Whereas it is a concern of the Community to ensure the highest degree of safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment;

Whereas the United States Coastguard has decided to terminate its Loran-C commitments outside the United States of America as from 1994 and intends to offer the Loran-C facilities to the relevant host nations;

Whereas certain Member States intend to participate in one or more regional agreements on the establishment of Loran-C chains covering North-West Europe and the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Iberian Peninsula and the Baltic, while a number of these areas are already covered by terrestrial systems, such as Decca and Omega;

Whereas Member States are not required to abandon existing radionavigation systems, such as Decca and Omega, provided they fulfil their Loran-C obligations in accordance with regional agreements;

Whereas the Loran-C system in particular satisfies international requirements and its more general application does not prejudice the development of satellite aids to navigation, especially as combined coverage by satellite and Loran-C will offer an excellent degree of system verification and continuity of radionavigation coverage for the benefit of maritime safety and environmental protection;

Whereas the establishment of regional Loran-C systems must ensure coherent and complete coverage of the European maritime area, avoiding as much as possible the imposition of additional costs upon the users of existing terrestrial radionavigation systems,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: