The committee adopted the report by Carlos RIPOLL I MARTINEZ BEDOY (EPP-ED, F) broadly approving the proposal under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure, subject to a few amendments. It felt that the definition of "persons with reduced mobility" proposed by the Commission was too wide, and confined it to those passengers whom it felt were most in need of assistance, namely, anyone who has a particular difficulty using public transport, including the elderly, the disabled, those with sensory impairments, wheelchair users, pregnant women and people accompanying small children. It also stipulated that people with reduced mobility should not only be able to embark and disembark easily, as mentioned in the proposal, but should also have access between decks inside a vessel. In another amendment, the committee demanded that alarm systems should be accessible by, and should alert, all passengers with reduced mobility including those with sensory disabilities and learning disabilities.
Other amendments clarified the definition of "ro-ro passenger ship" and called for a slightly longer deadline (1 October 2015 rather than 1 January 2015 as proposed) for phasing out Class A and B ro-ro vessels built before 2004.�