Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EC) No 3699/93 laying down the criteria and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the processing and marketing of its products` ()

(96/C 174/09)

On 30 January 1996 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 7 March 1996. The Rapporteur was Mr Little.

At its 334th Plenary Session of 27 and 28 March 1996 (meeting of 27 March 1996), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following Opinion by 93 votes to two, with five abstentions.

1. Introduction

1.1. Council Regulation (EC) No 3699/93 provides the general framework for structural assistance to the fisheries sector under the Financial Instrument of Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). The Commission's present proposal seeks to amend two separate facets of the Regulation.

1.2. To adjust fishing effort in order to meet the fleet capacity reduction targets of the multi-annual guidance programmes, Member States may take, inter alia, permanent cessation measures. Annex IV of the Regulation sets ceilings, varying with gross registered tonnage and the age of the vessel, for the state aids which can be paid for the permanent cessation of fishing activities. The stated scale of ceilings applies to 15 year-old vessels and the scale amounts are increased by 1,5 % per annum for vessels less than 15 years old and decreased by 1,5 % per annum for vessels older than 15 years. Under the Commission's proposal, the ceiling for permanent withdrawal premiums would be fixed, at that for 30 year-old vessels, for all vessels above that age.

1.3. Member States may take measures to alleviate the temporary cessation of fishing activities within a maximum daily scale for each eligible vessel. The Commission now proposes to set an overall limit on Community aid available to each Member State for this purpose and which would be the greater of ECU 200 000 or 0,5 % of the total spending indicated in the Sectoral Plan for the year concerned.

2. Comments

2.1. The present year-by-year reduction in the maximum financial assistance for the withdrawal of vessels acts as a disincentive to the scrapping, transfer or re-assignment of the oldest vessels. The Committee concurs with the aim of securing the withdrawal of the oldest vessels in the EU fleet, and thus supports the proposal to have the maximum assistance for vessels aged 30 years or over fixed at the scale ceilings for 30 year-old vessels.

2.2. In its Opinion on the introduction of Regulation 3699/93 (), the Committee pointed out that temporary cessation, if properly regulated, could be a useful instrument for conserving resources and it supported the provision of assistance related to temporary cessation measures.

2.2.1. In order to achieve the longer-term objectives for the management of fishing effort, structural assistance may be provided by means of the various measures specified in the Regulation. It is logical that emphasis should be given to measures which have a long term effect and therefore the Committee supports the principle of introducing limits to the FIFG assistance which can be given for temporary cessation of activities.

2.2.2. However, the proposed limit of 0,5 % appears to be based on experience over a very short period of time and would provide no flexibility for year-by-year fluctuations. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the overall limit of FIFG assistance for each Member State be raised to the greater of ECU 400 000 or 1 % of the funds foreseen in the Sectoral financial plan for each Member State for the year concerned.

2.3. The Commission's proposals, if implemented, would have no effect on the total funding indicated under approved Sectoral Plans for each Member State or on funding available under FIFG but minor changes in the allocation between measures could arise from both facets.

2.4. Subject to the point made in 2.2.2, the Committee supports the Commission's proposals.

Done at Brussels, 27 March 1996.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Carlos FERRER

() OJ No C 49, 20. 2. 1996, p. 9.

() OJ No C 52, 19. 2. 1994.