19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/35
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)layingdowndetailedrulesfor
implementing Regulation (EEC)No2080/93onCommunitystructuralassistanceinthe
fisheriesandaquaculturesectorandtheindustryprocessingandmarketingitsproducts
(94/C52/12)
On23November1993theEconomicandSocialCommittee,actingunderthethirdparagraph
ofArticle20ofitsRulesofProcedure,decidedtodrawupanAdditionalOpiniononthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsAdditionalOpinionon8December1993.The
RapporteurwasMrSilva.
Atits311thPlenarySession(meetingof21December1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingAdditionalOpinionbyalargemajorityvotewithtwo
abstentions .
ThepresentOpinionsupplementsOpinionCES1176/
93whichwasadoptedon24November1993atthe
310thPlenarySession.
TheearlierOpinionendorsedtheproposal,albeitwith
reservations ,becauseofitsimportanceforthesector.ledtosituationsofuncertainty .Howeveritshouldbe
emphasizedthatRegulation (EEC)No3760/92and
Regulation (EEC)No2847/93(controlsystem)givethe
CommonFisheriesPolicyamuchclearerlegislative
frameworkwhichwillshortlybefurtherstrengthened
bytheRegulationonfishinglicences.
1.6.Ofthemeasurestostopfishingactivitydefini­
tively,thescrappingofvesselsispracticallytheonlyone
whichqualifiesforECassistanceundertheproposal.In
thecaseofvesselsoflessthan50GRT,scrappingis
theonlyeligiblemeasure;suchvesselsmaynotreceive
aidforpermanenttransfertoathirdcountry,orfor
reassignmenttonon-fishingactivities.
1.7.ECaidisalsodeniedto(a)measurespromoting
thereorientationoffishingactivitiesbythesetting-up
oftemporaryjointenterprisesandofjointventures,
and(b)experimentalfishing.1.Generalcomments
1.1.Thepresentproposalamendscertainaspectsof
existinglegislation .
1.2.Theproposal,whichisintendedtoprovidecon­
tinuitywithearlierlegislation(*),placesanumberof
muchmorerestrictiveconditionsuponECsupportand
structuralmeasures .
1.3.AstheCommitteenotedinanearlierOpin­
ion^),thereare'certainprerequisitesforstrikingthe
rightbalancebetweenresourcesandfishingeffort:poli­
ciesmustbeformulatedandappliedwithahighdegree
oftransparency ;(....)theremustbeeffectivepartici­
pationbyinterestedparties;andthesocialproblems
raisedbyrestructuringandthereductionofcapacity
mustbesettled'.
1.4.Giventheneedtoadjustfishingefforttopresent
resources,theCommitteedoesnotunderstandwhythe
proposalexcludesfromtheraftofmeasureseligiblefor
ECsupportcertainotheractionswhichcouldfurther
thisendandwhichshouldbesupportedunderthenew
legalframework .
1.5.TheCommissionconsidersthatinthepastsome
oftheseactionshavenotbeenentirelyeffective—
somethingwhichremainstobeproved—orhave1.8.Supportformeasurestorestrictfishingactivities
isseverelylimited,particularlyasregardstemporary
cessationandsimilarmeasureswhichcouldhelp
improvestockmanagement .Ifproperlyregulated,tem­
porarycessationcouldbeausefulinstrumentforcon­
servingresourcesandcouldalsohaveabeneficialeffect
onthemarket^
1.9.Bylayingdownstrict,practicallyunattainable
criteriafortheconstruction ofnewvesselsinMember
States,theproposalgreatlyrestrictspotentialECaid
fortherenovationoftheCommunityfishingfleets.
ThiscouldseriouslyundermineeffortstomaketheEC
fleetmorecompetitiveinthefaceofincreasinglycut­
throatcompetitionfromthirdcountries.
(J)Regulation (EEC)No4028/86,Regulation (EEC)No4042/
89,Regulation (EEC)No2080/93.
(2)OJNoC73,15.3.1993,p.29.1.10.Thesameistrueoftheprovisionwhichlimits
ECaidforvesselmodernization tovesselsthatareless

NoC52/36 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.2.94
2.4.Article8(3)
Thesecondparagraph('FIFGassistancemayonly....
biologicalphenomenainparticular')shouldbedeleted.
2.5.Article9
Thisshouldberedraftedinlinewithpoint1.7above.than25yearsold.Thisisliabletoexcludelargeportions
oftheCommunityfleetinanumberofMemberStates.
1.11.Onthesubjectofplanning,theCommittee
notesthatthespecialfeaturesofthefisheriessector
makeitill-fittedtoasix-yearplanningframeworkas
laiddownattheEdinburghCouncil.
1.12.Itmustalsoberememberedthatmanagement
offishingeffort,underthetermsofthepresentproposal
andwithinthetime-framesuggestedbyotherRegu­
lations,willimposeadditionalconstraintsthatwill
affectthesocio-economic fabricofthesector.The
structuraladjustmentsandmeasurestobeadoptedby
theMemberStatesundertheCommonFisheriesPolicy
mustthereforenotoverlookthesocialaspects.The
Committeeherereiteratesthecallsmadeinearlier
Opinions.
2.Specificcomments2.6.Article10(2)
Article10(2)shouldbedeleted.
2.7.Article12(2)
Afterthewords'toimprovehygiene',add:'andprotect
theenvironment '.
2.8.Article13
2.1.Article1Thefollowingnewindentshouldbeinserted:
'—campaignstopreventtheconsumptionofimma­
turespecies'.Thisshouldbereplacedbythefollowing:
'ThepresentRegulationlaysdownthetermsand
conditionsfortheFIFGcontributiontothestructur­
aladjustmentmeasuressetoutinArticles2,3and
4ofRegulation (EEC)No2080/93.'2.9.Annex111,Point1.1(a)
Thewords'ineachofthetwoperiodsof12months'
shouldbereplacedby'inthe12monthperiod'.2.2.Article7(1)
2.10.AnnexHI,Point1.4Itisnotrighttopenalizethosepartieswhichhave
achievedtheobjectiveslaiddowninthemultiannual
guidanceprogrammes (MGP).
Theword'over-achievement 'shouldthereforebe
replacedby'fulfilment'.Theageofthevesselshouldbeincreasedtotake
accountofthediversityoftheCommunityfleet.
2.11.AnnexIV,Point1.1(a)
2.3.Article8(2) TheamountsofthepremiumslistedinTable1for
scrappingvesselsandforsettingupjointventures
shouldbeincreasedby20%.
2.12.AnnexIV,Point2.2Thisshouldberedraftedinlinewithpoint1.6above.
VesselswithaGRToflessthan50tonnesshouldalso
beeligible.
Thesentence'FIFGassistanceforpermanentwith­
drawalmeasuresmayonlybeusedtofinancethescrap­
pingofvessels'shouldbedeleted.The'othermeasures'shouldincludeexportpremiums,
jointventures,andthemostremoteregions(Poseican,
Poseidom,Poseima).
DoneatBrussels,21December1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN