To bring the EU regulations into line with the 2008 revision of the International Maritime Organization’s MARPOL Annex VI, the new sulphur directive, Directive 2012/33/EU came into effect on 17th December 2012. To comply with the revised sulphur directive, all the EU member states were given time until June 18, 2014, to bring the Directive into force.
Romania is now facing the situation to pay the fine for failing to transpose the EU regulations. The commission revealed that it has proposed the Court to impose a fine from the date of Court ruling until Romania falls into line. It is reported that the daily fine may exceed EUR 38,042.6 ($40,820). The court will decide the final amount of fine: “takes into account the seriousness of the infringement, its duration and the deterrent effect reflecting the ability to pay of the Member State.”
Also, Romania has accepted that it has not transposed into law the Directive on the sulphur content of marine fuels. The amendments became necessary to align EU legislation with international standards agreed under at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the UN agency responsible for shipping.
Source: European Union
