ANNEX TO THE LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

Joint Statement by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission

The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission recognise the need to urgently advance action on the protection and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems and biodiversity. The three institutions agree that tackling biodiversity loss, protecting and restoring ecosystems and/or maintaining them in good condition will require significant public and private investment at national and European level and that a significant proportion of the EMFAF expenditures should be invested in biodiversity. The three institutions agree that the Commission will work with Member States, in the context of the programming exercise for the EMFAF 2021-2027, to reach the overall ambition of biodiversity spending highlighted in recital 15.

Joint Statement by the Council and the Commission

The Council and the Commission remain committed to trying to avoid an interruption of fishing activities under Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements by striving towards the timely renewal of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements and their implementing Protocols.

Statement by the Commission

The Commission has accepted the eligibility of investments on board related to fisheries control and enforcement, be they mandatory or not, and for all Union fishing vessels. The Commission considers that these investments will enable Member States to make full use of the financial resources available in the EMFAF for control and enforcement, to fulfil their obligations under the Control Regulation and other rules of the Common Fisheries Policy and to substantially improve the culture of compliance in the fishing sector. Moreover, the Commission expects that — in the context of the ongoing review of the Control Regulation — the European Parliament and the Council will support the modernisation of the existing control tools and the use of new technologies as proposed by the Commission. This means in particular introducing smart solutions for the tracking and catch reporting of small-scale vessels, installing systems for the continuous monitoring of engine power, moving to fully digitised traceability systems covering all fishery products (fresh, frozen and processed), and introducing mandatory remote electronic monitoring systems on board fishing vessels and based on risk assessment, as the only effective means to control the application of the landing obligation and the bycatch and discard of sensitive species.

Statement by the Commission

The Commission takes note of the difficulties encountered up to now to grant state aid for the renewal of the fleets in the outermost regions. With a view to the sustainable development of those regions, the Commission will endeavour to assist the Member States to improve the collection of scientific data necessary to comply with the eligibility condition set in the State aid guidelines with a view to facilitating the application of the guidelines for the examination of State aid to the fishery and aquaculture sector in the Outermost Regions.

Statement by the Commission

The Commission, in the context of the programming exercise for the EMFAF 2021-2027, will actively encourage Member States to maximise the use of measures included in their programmes, in particular under Article 25 (protection of biodiversity and ecosystems), to reach the overall ambition of providing an annual spending under the MFF to tackle biodiversity loss, protect and restore ecosystems and maintain ecosystems in good conditions as follows: 7,5 % of annual spending under the MFF to biodiversity objectives in the year 2024 and 10 % of annual spending under the MFF to biodiversity objectives in 2026 and 2027. The Commission will regularly monitor the level of this spending on the basis of the total eligible expenditure declared by the beneficiaries to the managing authority and on data submitted by the Member State. Where the monitoring shows insufficient progress towards reaching the overall ambition, the Commission will actively engage with Member States in the annual review meeting in order to adopt remedial measures, including a programme amendment.