15.3.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC73/29
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)establishingaCommunitysystem
forfisheriesandaquaculture
(93/C73/09
On23November1992theBureauoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,actingunderthe
thirdparagraphofArticle20ofitsRulesofProcedure,decidedtoasktheCommitteeto
drawupanOpinionontheabovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon7January1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrSilva.
Atits302ndPlenarySession(meetingof27January1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeunanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
1.TakingasitsbasisthereportsissuedbytheCom­
missioninfulfilmentoftherequirementsofRegulation
(EEC)No170/83(*),theCommitteehasalreadyplayed
apartindiscussionsonthesituationofthefisheries
sectorovertheperiod1983-1990anditsprospectsfor
1993-2002.TheseearlierOpinions(2)remainfullyappli­
cable.3.4.Themanagementoffishingeffortalongthese
lineswillimposeadditionalconstraintswhichwill
affecttheentiresocio-economic fabricofasector
alreadybesetbydifficulties.Financialcompensation
andsocialsupportmeasuresmustbedevisedtocushion
theimpact,withproperlinkagebetweentheCFPand
thestructuralfunds.Specialattentionwillhavetobe
devotedtoregionsparticularlydependentonfisheries.
2.ThepresentOpinionsupplementsOpinionCES
1328/92whichwasadoptedatthePlenarySessionof
24November1992andwhichendorsedtheproposal
onconditionthatcertainofitsrecommendations were
accepted.3.5.InviewoftheECfisheriessector'spresentsitu­
ationandtheneedtoavoidunnecessaryupheaval,the
proposedmeasuresshouldbephasedinandapplied
withadegreeofflexibility .
3.Generalcomments
4.TheCommitteereaffirmsitspositionasregards
theretention—albeitwithimprovements—oftheTACs
andquotassystemasanadjuncttothepolicyof
adjustingfishingcapacitytotheresourcesavailable.3.1.TheproposednewRegulationismorethanjust
arevampedorupdatedversionofRegulation (EEC)
No170/83.Inthiscontext,itmustbeemphasizedthat
themainaimoftheCommonFisheriesPolicy(CFP)is
toensurecontinuityofsupplyandtoimprovethe
incomesofthoseworkinginthesector;thisisonly
possibleifsustainablefishingactivityisguaranteed .
3.2.Thesurvivalandstabilityofthesectordepends
interaliaonresourceconservationpolicy.
3.3.EarlierESCOpinionshavestressedthatfisher­
mendonotbearsoleresponsibilityforthesector's
currentvulnerability .Butthefactremainsthatfish
stocks—particularlycertainspeciesincertainareas—
aredepleted.Thesituationdemandsnewprovisionsto
ensurestable,rationalexploitationoffisheryresources.4.1.AstheCommitteehassaidbefore(2),fishery
resourcesareacommonassetwhichshouldnotbeopen
toappropriation bytheindividual.Theestablishment
ofanEClicensingsystem,designedtohelprationalize
andmanagetheexploitationoffisheryresources,
shouldbringsignificantbenefits.Alicenceshouldbe
consideredasanadministrative instrumentauthorizing
avesseltoexploitasharedresourcewithinthelimits
setbyEClegislation.Itdoesnotautomaticallyconfer
therighttoafishingquota.
4.2.UnderthetermsofthepresentframeworkRegu­
lation,fishinglicencesorvesselidentitycardsaretobe
issuedandadministered bytheMemberStates.The
implementingarrangementsandconditionsforgranting
thelicencesaretobeadoptedlater.(»)OJNoL24,27.1.1983.
(2)OJNoC339,31.12.1991,p.75,OJNoC223,31.8.1992,
p.30.

NoC73/30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 15.3.93
tioningtheimportantroleplayedbyindustrialfishing.
Data(*)showthat30milliontonnesoffish(around
onethirdoftotalworldcatch)isusedforfishmeal.
9.Communitystructuralaidforaquaculture,aimed
mainlyatdevelopingthesector,isgovernedbyRegu­
lation(EEC)No4028/86.TheCommitteereaffirmsthe
principlethataquaculturemustcontinuetobetreated
asanactivitywhichcomplementsfishing.
10.Specificcomments
10.1.Article1(2)
Aftertheword'resources'inthefifthline,add:
'soastoensureafairincomeforthesector'swork­
force'.
10.2.Article2(2)
Addacategory(h):
'providingfinancialorothercompensationtopro­
ducerswhoarelikelytobeaffectedbythepro­
visionsofthepresentArticle.'
10.3.Article6(5)
TheCommissionshoulddefinewhatitmeansby'at
regularintervals'inthecontextofsettingmulti-annual
TACs.
10.4.Article7
Attheendofthesecondparagraph,afterthewords
'fishingmortality',add:
'TheCouncilshallalsodeterminethefinancialpro­
visionsandsocialmeasuresneededtocushionthe
economicandsocialimpactofrestructuring.'4.3.Infuture,considerationwillhavetobegivento
therelationshipbetweentheissuingoflicencesand
thenewquota-management powersbeingdelegatedto
tradeorganizations .
5.TheCommitteeendorsesthecontinueddero­
gationtofreeaccesswithinthe12-mileband,designed
toprotecttraditionalfishingactivitieswithinthatarea.
Thisprincipleshouldbelinkedtothegrantingof
licencesthatrespectcertaincriteria(e.g.lengthand
typeofgearused).
5.1.AsstatedinOpinion1328/92,theprincipleof
relativestabilityshouldberetained,subjecttoany
adjustmentsthatmaybewarrantedinoveralltermsby
changesinthesituationsince1983.
6.TheCommonFisheriesPolicycannotcontinueto
neglectthesocialaspects.TheCommitteereiteratesthe
demandsmadeinitspreviousOpinions.
6.1.Itisworthreiteratingcertainprerequisitesfor
strikingtherightbalancebetweenresourcesandfishing
effort:policiesmustbeformulatedandappliedwitha
highdegreeoftransparency ;measuresmustbeapplied
withacertainflexibility;theremustbeeffectivepartici­
pationbyinterestedparties;andthesocialproblems
raisedbyrestructuringandthereductionofcapacity
mustbesettled.
7.Aresource-management policy,drawingonaccur­
ateinformationaboutthelevelanddevelopmentof
stocksfishedinECwaters,isextremelyimportant.A
soundmarinescientificresearchpolicyshouldenable
marineresourcestobeexploitedmorerationally,effec­
tivelyandcoherently.AstheCommitteehassaidbefore,
theresourcesallocatedtoresearchshouldbeincreased,
inlinewiththeimportanceofthetask.
8.Itseemsinconsistent todrawattentionto
thedeteriorationoffisheryresourceswithoutmen­0)LeMondeDiplomatique .
DoneatBrussels,27January1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN