The Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Malta, and letters of formal notice to Belgium and Portugal, for failing to comply with EU law on marine equipment (Directive 2014/90/EU).
The common EU safety and environmental rules concern equipment, such as life jackets, sewage cleaning systems and radars on board EU-flagged ships.
Belgium and Portugal have failed to ensure that marine equipment on board of their vessels always complies with the requirements of the Directive, while Malta and Portugal are not conducting market surveillance on an adequate scale.
In addition, Belgium has failed to ensure that its bodies responsible are carrying out appropriate examinations and tests on specimens, or are having them carried out correctly.
These Member States now have three months to reply to the Commission.
After this deadline, in the case of Portugal and Belgium, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion, whereas in the case of Malta, the Commission may decide to bring the matter before the Court of Justice of the EU.
