The EU Directive on Port Reception Facilities: A Case Study in the Development of an EU Environmental Directive

This paper provides an analysis of the European Union Directive on Port Reception Facilities which was developed as a result of a number of major oil spills in European waters and from a perceived laxity in the application of enforcement of international environmental regulations identified in the 1993 “A Common Policy on Safe Seas”. This paper examines the development of Directive 2000/59/EC in light of the Common Policy, setting it within the decision making process of the EU. An historical overview of the development of the Directive is provided, identifying how it changed and adapted from the Proposal of the Commission being adopted in July 1998 through to the signing off of the Directive by the Parliament and Council in November 2000. Comparison is made of three versions of the Directive - an early working document, the proposed directive and the final directive. Finally, the paper examines recent developments in the Directive in response to other EU legislation and an ongoing review of its implementation in ports in order to assess how the Directive has or might change in the future.