#FlagDirective- Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar has confirmed another successful Irish Presidency trilogue with the European Parliament on the Flag State Directive, which covers marine issues.

The trilogue which involved negotiations between the EU's Council, Commission and Parliament met last week to reach agreement.

"The safety and welfare of those working in the maritime sector is vital. The agreement on the EU Directive on Flag State control, following on from last month's agreement on Port State control, is a key milestone in implementing the Maritime Labour Convention" said Minister Varadkar.

"Ireland has a strong maritime tradition and we are very happy to advance a number of important maritime initiatives during our Presidency. We recently finalised an agreement between Member States and the European Parliament on an EU directive in relation to technical standards for Recreational Water-based Craft which should see improved emission standards and increased competitiveness among European manufacturers.

"We also expect to make significant progress on the revised Marine Equipment Directive, which streamlines and updates procedures for approval of equipment installed on board EU ships, and which is very important for the industry and the functioning of the internal market as well as for safety of EU ships."

The final text agreed of the Trilogue on the Flag State Directive will be presented to Coreper for final endorsement by Member States.