Regulation (EC) 392/2009 on the liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents: an example of the impact of eu law beyond its own borders
| Autor | Iva Tuhtan Grgi? y Adriana Vincenca Padovan |
| Cargo del Autor | Associate Professor University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law/Senior Research Associate Adriatic Institute, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts |
| Páginas | 337-375 |
REGULATION (EC) 392/2009 ON THE LIABILITY
OF CARRIERS OF PASSENGERS BY SEA
IN THE EVENT OF ACCIDENTS: AN EXAMPLE
OF THE IMPACT OF EU LAW BEYOND
ITS OWN BORDERS*
Iva TUHTAN GRGIĆ
Associate Professor
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law
Adriana Vincenca PADOVAN
Senior Research Associate
Adriatic Institute, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
ABSTRACT: The authors examine the various aspects of the impact of EU law on the
international level, beyond the borders of the EU, in the example of the Regulation
(EC) 392/2009 on the liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of acci-
dents. The Regulation incorporates the Athens Convention relating to the Carriage
of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea (2002) in the legal order of the EU. The
analysis focuses on the relationship and interferences between the two overlapping
legal regimes, on the manner they are implemented within the EU and on the
effects that the EU implementation produces on global level. The paper analyses
the relevant sources of the international legal framework and the EU legal fra-
mework. It further focuses on the critical points where the EU legislation departs
from the international regime, especially the geographical scope of application,
the global limitation of shipowner’s liability, matters of jurisdiction, recognition
and enforcement of judgments and additional passenger rights provided by the EU
legislation. It also deals with the issue of compulsory carrier liability insurance and
its implementation through flag State and port State jurisdiction.
Keywords: 2002 Athens Convention; Regulation (EC) 392/2009; sea carrier’s liability;
passengers; EU maritime law.
* The present study has been carried out in the framework of the research project «Transport faced
with the challenges of technological development and globalization: new solutions as regards liability
and competition» (Ref. PID2019-107204GB-C33), financed by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/.
338 IVA TUHTAN GRGIĆ - ADRIANA VINCENCA PADOVAN
REGLAMENTO (CE) 392/2009 SOBRE
LA RESPONSABILIDAD DE LOS TRANSPORTISTAS
DE PASAJEROS POR MAR EN CASO DE ACCIDENTE:
UN EJEMPLO DEL IMPACTO DEL DERECHO
DE LA UE MÁS ALLÁ DE SUS PROPIAS FRONTERAS
RESUMEN: Las autoras analizan diversos aspectos del impacto del Derecho de la UE
en el ámbito internacional, más allá de las fronteras de la UE, con base en el Regla-
mento (CE) 392/2009 sobre la responsabilidad de los transportistas de pasajeros
por mar en caso de accidente. El Reglamento incorpora al ordenamiento jurídico
de la UE el Convenio de Atenas relativo al transporte de pasajeros y sus equipajes
por mar, de 2002. El análisis se centra en la relación y las interferencias entre los
dos regímenes jurídicos superpuestos, en cómo se aplican en la UE y en los efectos
que la transposición de la norma europea produce a nivel mundial. El trabajo ana-
liza las fuentes relevantes del marco jurídico internacional y de la UE. Además, se
centra en los puntos críticos en los que la legislación de la UE se aparta del régimen
internacional, especialmente en lo que respecta al ámbito geográfico de aplicación,
la limitación global de la responsabilidad del propietario del buque, la jurisdicción,
el reconocimiento y la ejecución de las sentencias y los derechos suplementarios
de los pasajeros previstos en la legislación de la UE. También aborda la cuestión
del seguro obligatorio de responsabilidad del transportista y su aplicación en la
jurisdicción del Estado del pabellón y del Estado del puerto.
Palabras clave: Convenio de Atenas de 2002; Reglamento (EC) 392/2009; responsa-
bilidad del transportista marítimo; pasajeros; Derecho marítimo de la UE.
INDEX: I. INTRODUCTION.—II. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK.—III. EUROPEAN LE-
GAL FRAMEWORK.—IV. OVERLAP BETWEEN THE SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF THE 2002
ATHENS CONVENTION AND THE ATHENS REGULATION.—V. THE EFFECT OF THE EXTEN-
LIABILITY REGIMES.—VI. COMPULSORY INSURANCE.—VII. CONSIDERATIONS REGAR-
DING JURISDICTION, RECOGNITION AND ENFORCEMENT.—VIII. CONSIDERATIONS RE-
GARDING ADDITIONAL RIGHTS: 1. Advance Payment. 2. Compensation in Respect of Mobility
.—IX. CONCLUSION.—X. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
I. INTRODUCTION
This paper addresses the impact of the EU law beyond the borders of the EU
in the field of carriage of passengers by sea. The EU is an international legal actor
and law is at the foundation of the EU’s external power1. The EU’s engagement
with multilateral fora and in the negotiation of international legal instruments
influences the internationally agreed rules in various fields, including maritime
law. It has been stated that the global reach of EU law may involve the use of EU
1 M. cremona and J. scoTT, EU Law beyond EU Borders: The Extraterritorial Reach of EU Law,
Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019, p.1.
instruments to support the adoption and application of international law, where-
as the instruments of EU law are thereby often presented as mechanisms for the
promotion of EU values2.
The issues of global reach, extraterritoriality and territorial extension of EU
law have been extensively discussed in doctrine in the context of public law (pub-
lic international law, criminal law, competition law, environmental law, law of
safety, law of security)3 and as such they are not subject of this paper. We deal
with the relationship between EU law and uniform private law with a focus on
the impact that EU law has made on the international maritime private law re-
gime of liability and compensation for passenger claims.
Bearing in mind that, ultimately, the observed legal regime applies worldwide,
beyond EU borders, to individuals that are subjects of private law, we exam-
ine the potential of the global reach of EU law in this private international law
context. The potential can be observed through the aspect of civil jurisdiction
exercised by the national courts of EU Member States in the private interna-
tional law disputes, and through the role of the Court of Justice of the European
Union (hereinafter ECJ). In that sense, we examine the potential for an increase
in uniformity in interpretation of the relevant international maritime law norms,
throughout EU Member States and beyond4.
Furthermore, in one of the following chapters we discuss the specific aspects
of port State jurisdiction, including prescriptive and enforcement jurisdiction5,
that the EU strongly relies on when implementing the required minimum stan-
dards of passenger safety and protection of passengers’ rights, particularly the
compulsory insurance requirements for the shipowners and ship operators en-
gaged in the carriage of passengers6.
To perceive the potential effects of the practical application of the relevant
legal regime of the carrier’s liability for passengers in the event of accidents, it is
useful to shortly reflect on some statistical information.
2 Ibid, p.2.
3 For example, H. rinGbom (ed.), Jurisdiction over Ships: Post-UNCLOS Development in the Law
of the Sea, Leiden, Koninklijke Brill NV, 2015; M. cremona and J. scoTT, EU Law beyond EU Borders:
The Extraterritorial Reach of EU Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019; N. F. coelHo, «Extra-
territoriality from the Port: EU’s Approach to Jurisdiction over Ship-Source Pollution», The Spanish
Yearbook of International Law, No.19, 2015, pp.269-284; A. PueTz, «“Extraterritoriality” in European
Law: Airfreight and Beyond», Air and Space Law, Vol.46, No.6, 2021, pp. 764-783; A. boyle, «EU
Unilateralism and the Law of the Sea», The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, Vol.21,
No.1, pp.15-31; R. doVer and J. Frosini, The Extraterritorial Effects of Legislation and Policies in the
EU and US (Study), European Parliament, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, 2012.
4 See S. lamonT-blacK, «Sea Passenger Rights and the Implementation of the Athens Convention in
the EU», Australian and New Zealand Maritime Law Journal, No.32, 2018, p.45.
5 Jurisdiction as an aspect of State sovereignty presupposes the prescriptive jurisdiction to legislate
or establish rules, judicial jurisdiction to adjudicate or establish procedures and the enforcement or ad-
ministrative jurisdiction to impose sanctions for the breaches of the rules. See R. doVer and J. Frosini,
The Extraterritorial Effects of Legislation and Policies in the EU and US (Study), European Parliament,
Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, 2012, p.7.
6 For a general discussion on port State jurisdiction see B. marTen, «Port State Jurisdiction,
International Conventions, and Extraterritoriality: An Expansive Interpretation», in H. rinGbom (ed.),
Jurisdiction over Ships: Post-UNCLOS Development in the Law of the Sea, Leiden, Koninklijke Brill
NV, 2015, pp.105-139.
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