51. Stresses the need for radical changes at the level of structure and responsibilities to the complex nexus of businesses (vessel and ship owners, freight contractors, oil companies, classification societies, insurers, etc) that controls international maritime traffic, as well as its relations with flag-of-convenience states; insists that this nexus is an obstacle to the efficient inspection of the condition of vessels, the introduction of the necessary safety measures, vocational training, action to secure adequate working and living conditions and wages for crews, and compliance with fiscal obligations; calls on the Commission to m ...[+++]ake a full analysis of this crucial problem and to submit a report to Parliament and the Council; this report should, in particular, deal with the relations between EU businesses and flag-of-convenience states;

The subsequent TACA agreement also presented severe restrictions of competition since the shipowners inter alia fixed prices for inland transport and restricted the availability of individual service contracts between the shipping lines and its customers.

- information campaigns (targeted at the crew, ship-owners and shipping companies) have led to greater awareness.

Following its investigations of the case, the Commission found: - that the freight rates charged by Hyundai undercut the normal freight rate by an average of 26 per cent; - that Hyundai's low rates were made possible by non-commercial advantages granted by the Korean government in the form of cargo reservation schemes and advantages given in the process of restructuring in the Korean shipping industry; - that major injury was caused to Community shipowners by Hyundai's low rates.

Sectoral organisations with no cross-industry affiliation - Eurocommerce - COPA/COGECA - EUROPECHE - Association of European Cooperative Insurers, AECI - International Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Intermediaries, BIPAR - European Insurance Committee, CEA - Banking Federation of the European Community - Savings Banks Group of the European Community, GCECEE - Association of Cooperative Banks of the EC - European Confederation of woodworking industries, CEI-bois - Confederation of the National Hotel and Restaurant Associations in the EC, HOTREC - European Construction Industry Federation - European Regional Airlines Association, ERA - Airports Council International - European Region, ACI-Europe - Association des Transports aériens ...[+++]à la demande - Association of European Community Airlines, AECI - Association of European Airlines, AEA - Organisation européenne des bateliers - International Union for Inland Navigation - European Community Shipowners Association, ECSA - Community of European Railways, CER - International Road Transport Union, IRU * Sectoral organisations of UNICE and committees of the ETUC also consulted as required ***

The Commission's decision follows complaints from all the Community shipping companies on the Community-Australia run that Hyundai was using unfair pricing practices, was unfairly undercutting them on the route and causing major injury to Community shipowners.