16.12.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC332/19
madetoreceivablesintheformoftransferablecertifi-depositcertificates,banker'sdrafts,standbylettersof
catesfromcreditinstitutions,suchasbankacceptances,creditandpromissorynotes.
DoneatBrussels,22October1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpiniononthereportonMonitoringImplementation oftheCommonFisheriesPolicy
(92/C332/08)
On2April1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,under
Article198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunitiesonthereport
onMonitoringImplementation oftheCommonFisheriesPolicy.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon1October1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrStrauss.
Atits300thPlenarySession(meetingof22October1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
1.General
1.1.TheCommitteesupportsthegeneralthrustof
theCommission'sreport.Efficaciousmonitoringofthe
CommonFisheriesPolicy(CFP)isintheinterestof
individualfishermen,theindustryasawholeandcon­
sumers,whorightlyexpectcontinuityofsupply.At
present,overallcompliancewithcontroloftheCFP
leavesmuchtobedesired.
1.2.Theimportanceofpreservation ,andtheneed
forclearandpracticablerulesgoverningtheCFP,was
raisedbytheCommitteeasrecentlyaslastyear.
1.3.MonitoringtheCFPisfundamentalforthepres­
ervationoffishstocks.Butmonitoringwillonlybe
activelysupportedbyfishermen,processorsanddis­
tributorsiftheyviewtheapplicationoftherulesasfair
andsensible.Inpractice,thisrequirestheCommunity
tobemoreinvolvedandtobegivengreaterpowersto
determinethewayinwhichtheCFPisenforcedsothat
enforcementmethodsbecomebroadlysimilar.Aslong
asthesemethodsdiffersignificantly,fishermenintheseparateMemberStateswillinevitablybelievethatthey
alonearedealtwithseverely.Greatereffortsarealso
necessarytoexplainthereasonsforrestrictiverules
sothatfishermencooperatemorewillinglywiththe
authorities .
1.4.Oncethenecessaryadjustmentshavebeen
secured,theCommitteecanaccepttheprincipleof
relativestabilitybywhichTACsandquotasarerelated
tocatchesinearlieryears.However,forthereasons
outlinedinthepreviousparagraphitbelievesthatit
maybedifficulttoreconcilethepreceptofsubsidiarity,
underwhicheachMemberStatemanagesitsownshare
asitseesfit,withtheneedtoconvincefishermenof
theeven-handedness oftheCFP.
1.5.AsregardstherulesoftheCFP—asopposed
totheirapplication—theyshouldapplyidenticallyto
allCommunityvesselscatchingfishinECwaters.So
far,thedegreeofurgencytoensurethattherulesare
observeddiffersamongstMemberStates,asdothe
monitoringmeansatthedisposaloftheirinspection
departments .GreaterCommunityinvolvement is

NoC332/20 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 16.12.92
3.Inspectionservices requiredtopromoteclosercoordinationbetweenthese
departmentsandalsotoensurethatmoreuniformand
effectivesanctionsareappliedtodetectlaw-breakers .
TheCommunityshouldconsiderintroducingjoint
trainingcoursesfortheinspectoratesofMemberStates
withaviewtoharmonizingsurveillancetechniquesand
ensuringamoreuniformapplicationofrules.Itwould
alsobehelpfulifmembersofnationalinspectorate
servicesweresecondedforaperiodtotheservicesof
otherMemberStates.3.1.Communityandnationalinspectionservicesare
woefullyinadequateinrelationtotheirmonitoringrole.
AppendixIItotheCommission'sReportshowsthat
thesizeofthenationalinspectionservicesvariesgreatly
andbearsnorelationtothesizeoffleets.TheCom­
missionshoulddeterminetheoperationalratioof
inspectorstovesselsand,wherenecessary,financially
assistMemberStatestoachievethisratio.Someofthe
displacedcustomofficialsmight,afterre-training,be
transferredtofisheryinspectionduties.
2.Responsibilities ofCommissionandnationalautho­
rities
3.2.Atthesametime,itwillbenecessarytostrength­
entheCommission'sinspectionservicessothatthey
canensurethattheCFPrulesareproperlyappliedand
monitored . 2.1.TheCommissionshouldberesponsibleforgen­
eralpolicyformationandtheoverallmanagementand
enforcementoftheCFP.Fortheforeseeablefuture,
however,nationalandregionalauthoritieswillhaveto
continuetoberesponsiblefortheadministration ofthe
CFP.TheCommunityshouldensurethattheauthorities
cooperatemorecloselysothatallECfishermenand
theircatchesaredealtwithsimilarly.Atpresent,these
authoritiestendtocherishtheirindependence tothe
detrimentofeffectivelyenforcingCFPrules.3.3.AsregardsECinspections,theyshouldbeunder­
takenwithoutfirstadvisingthenationalauthoritiesof
intendedvisits.Theseinspectionsshouldbecomp­
lementedbyasystemofauditchecksbytheCom­
mission.
4.Licencesandsurveillancecontrol
4.1.Theefficiencyofphysicalat-seainspections
couldbeenhancedifasystemofEClicences,coupled
withelectronicsurveillancecontrol,wereintroduced .2.1.1.TheCommission shouldreceiveaconstant
flowofaccurateup-to-dateinformationoncatches,
whatboatsareatseaatanytimeandtheirexact
position.ThisrequirestheadoptionbytheECandthe
nationalauthoritiesofcompatibleelectronicinfor­
mationnetworks .TheECandeachofthenational
authoritiescouldthereforehavethesameup-to-date
informationonactivitiesinECwaters.Theywould
alsoknowabouttheenforcement activitiesofallthe
servicesinvolved.Thisshouldcontributesignificantly
toclosercooperationbetweentheinspectorateservices.
2.2.Nationalandregionalauthoritiesshouldunder­
taketheirrightofpursuitinECwaters.4.2.ManyMemberStatesalreadyoperatefishing
licences.ThereisasystemofEClicencesforSpanish
andPortuguesevesselscurrentlyfishinginthewaters
ofotherMemberStates.Ageneralsystemoflicensing
couldpromotegreatereven-handedness intheappli­
cationofCommunityrules.Itmightalsohelpinenforc­
ingtheCFPmoreeffectively,sincethethreatofthe
temporaryorpermanentrevocationofthelicence
wouldactasapowerfuldeterrenttolaw-breakers .The
rulesgoverningtheissueandrecalloflicencesshouldbe
determinedbytheCommunity ,buttheadministration
shouldfalltotheMemberStates.TheCommitteecan
giveonlyqualifiedsupporttothelicenceproposaluntil
thedetailsofanyschemebecomeknown.2.3.Since,fortheforeseeablefuture,itwillbe
impossibletocontrolalllandingsatports,theCom­
missionshouldbegivenpowertocontrolconsignments
beyondpointsoflanding.Lorriescarryingunder-sized
fishandprocessorshandlingsuchwareshouldnolong­
erenjoyimmunity.Atthesametime,effortstomake
consumersawareoftheconsequencesofpurchasing
under-sizedfishshouldbesteppedup.4.3.Tofacilitatethemonitoringofvesselmove­
ments,allshipsaboveacertainsizeandoperational
rangefishinginCommunitywaters,includingvessels
operatingfromthirdcountries,shouldcarryequipment
subjectingthemtosatellitesurveillance .
4.3.1.Therequirementtocarrysatelliteequipment
wouldenabletheauthoritiestocontrolpiratevessels.
Sincelawscouldbeintroducedwhichwouldmakeit
illegalforlargervesselstofishwithoutthisequipment,2.4.Enforcementshouldbeappliedequallytoall
fishingvesselsirrespectiveofsize.Thiswillrequire
enhancedshore-based enforcement tocaterforthe
smaller-classvessels.Forthelargerclass,enforcement
wouldbeenhancedthroughmonitoringbysatellite
surveillancesystems.

16.12.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC332/21
anysuchshipscouldbeimpoundedwhencaughtby
fisheryprotectionvessels.
4.4.Althoughtheinstallationofelectronicmonitor­
ingequipmentwouldbeofnavigationalaidtosome,
manyvesselsalreadycarryadequateaids.Electronic
monitoringequipmentshouldbeviewedmerelyasa
meansbywhichtheauthoritiescancheckonthemove­
mentofships.Thecostofinstallingandoperatingthe
equipmentshouldfallinfullontheCommunityand
onnationalauthorities .AprecedentistheCAP,where
producersarenotsubjecttocontrolcosts.
5.Controlofnetsizesanddraughthorsepower6.Sanctions
6.1.TheCommitteeagreeswiththeCommission
thatthereareconsiderablegapsinthelegalinstruments
andbelievesthatalltheimprovements proposedby
theCommissionshouldbeconsideredsympathetically .
Currently,penaltiesareoftentoolightinproportion
tothecommercialgainsfrominfringementofthelaw.
Penaltiesshouldactasdeterrentsandshouldbebroadly
similarforcomparableoffencesthroughouttheEC.
7.Coordinatingcommittee
7.1.Theproposedcommitteeforthemonitoringof
theCFPseemsausefulsteptowardsachievinggreater
coordinationbetweenMemberStates.Itwill,however,
continuetobeimportanttoconsultallpartsofthe
industryunderthemanagement-committee structure.
8.Costofcontrol
8.1.TheCommitteeisawarethatthecostofmoni­
toringtheCFPis,andwillcontinuetobe,relatively
highinrelationtothevalueofthelandedfish,It
considers,however,thatthisisinevitablegiventhe
natureoftheindustryandtheimportancetofishermen
andconsumersthatfishstocksarepreserved.
8.2.TheCommunityshouldcontributetoenforce­
mentbudgetsinproportiontotheareasofresponsibility
ofindividualMemberStatesandtheactivitiesoffishing
vesselsinthejurisdictionalareas.Itwouldbewrongfor
countriestohavetocontinuepayingadisproportionate
amountofthetotalenforcementcostswithoutimprov­
ingthebudgetarycontributionsfromtheCommission .5.1.Theremustbeagreaterdegreeofcontrolover
suppliersofengines,netsandothertechnicalequipment
toenhancetheECconservationregulations .Engine
powercannotbemonitoredwhileatseaandthedefi­
nitionsofenginepowerintheregulationsarenot
sufficientlyclearforittobeeasilycontrolledwhile
vesselsareinport.Thereisanurgentneedforan
ECdefinitionwhichwouldenabletheauthoritiesto
implementandenforcemaximumdraughthorsepower
regulations .
5.2.Technicalmeasuressuchasmeshsizesandtor­
quewillhavetobeenforcedbothatpointofsaleand
throughexaminingvessels.
DoneatBrussels,22October1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN