REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on the intermediate results of the multi-annual guidance programmes for the fishing fleets at 30 June 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Introduction

Setting the intermediate targets

Remeasurement of tonnage

Fishing Vessel Register

Global results

Results by Member State

Belgium

Germany

Denmark

Spain

Finland

France

United Kingdom

Greece

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Portugal

Sweden

Conclusions

Executive Summary

The purpose of this report [1] is to report on the situation at 30 June 2002 on the various fleet segments of the Member States subject to fourth generation multi-annual guidance programmes (MAGP IV) in the light of the intermediate targets fixed for those segments at that date.

[1] Under Articles 6a and 6b introduced into the fourth-generation programmes by Decision 2002/652/EC (OJ L 215 du 10.08.2002, p. 23), prolonging the multi-annual guidance programmes until 31 December 2002.

This information will ensure that public aid schemes for the fishing fleets are correctly and transparently implemented. As of 1 July 2002, aid may no longer be granted under the MAGP IV for the construction of new vessels in fleet segments which have not met their targets by that date.

In this report, the Commission therefore explains how the intermediate targets for 30 June 2002 have been calculated for each fleet segment and then compared to the actual situation of each section at that date as evidenced by the Community register of fishing vessels. The calculations have been applied only to the targets expressed in terms of capacity (GT and kW), since the fishing effort targets (GT x days and kW x days) can only be expressed for complete years because of the seasonal nature of fishing activities.

The results are as follows:

* At 30 June 2002, all countries had met their overall intermediate target for kW [2].

[2] The assessment of MAGP IV outcomes in GT will be uncertain until completion of the remeasuring of fleets, scheduled for 2003. The reference to kW is therefore the only one possible.

* Only Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Finland have met their kW targets in all segments of their fleets.

Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden have therefore had to suspend their aid schemes for the construction and modernisation of their fleets for one or more segments.

Introduction

For each Member State in the Community, a multi-annual guidance programme (MAGP) fixes objectives for reducing the size of the fishing fleet in order to bring fishing effort into line with available resources. The fourth generation of MAGPs, adopted in December 1997 [3], fix targets for the period 1997-2001. This period was extended by Council Decision [4] until the end of 2002.

[3] Commission Decisions 98/119/EC to 98/131/EC (OJ L 39, 12.2.98, pp. 1-84).

[4] OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p.77.

Setting the intermediate targets

Article 6a introduced by the Commission Decision 2002/652/EC prolonging the MAGPs until December 31 2002 [5] states: "The Commission shall draw up, on the basis of the information shown at 30 June 2002 in the Community register of fishing vessels, a document setting out for each fleet segment of each Member State the differences between capacity expressed in GT tonnage and kW on that date and the intermediate targets, calculated for the individual segments as the arithmetic mean of the targets for the fifth and sixth years of the programme." The following figure shows how this calculation is made for each fleet segment and for the overall target:

[5] OJ L 215 du 10.08.2002, p. 23.

>REFERENCE TO A GRAPHIC>

According to Article 6b introduced by the same Commission Decision 2002/652/EC, the scope of this exercise is restricted to comparing the situations and targets of the fleets measured in capacity.

For the purposes of the MAGP, the capacity of a vessel is defined as its tonnage in gross tonnes (GT) or its propulsion power in kW.

Remeasurement of tonnage

The tonnage targets of the MAGP III (1992-96) were expressed in gross registered tonnes (GRT), though in almost all Member States a mixture of tonnage measurements were used to measure capacity, some vessels being measured in GRT, others in GT and others in nationally defined units of tonnage.

Council Regulation (EC) No 3259/94 [6] and Commission Decision 95/84/EC [7] were adopted in order to harmonise tonnage measurements, requiring that all fishing vessels be measured in GT. They also simplify the definition of GT for vessels less than 15 metres in length overall and specify formulae to estimate the GT of vessels between 15 and 24 metres length pending full remeasurement.

[6] OJ L 339, 29.12.1994, p. 11.

[7] OJ L 67, 25.3.1995, p.33.

As agreed with the Member States, the tonnage targets were converted to units of GT when the MAGP IV was adopted. However, some Member States had made little progress in remeasuring their fleets at the time of adoption, so the targets, although nominally in units of GT, remained a mixture of GT, GRT and national units.

Member States have until the end of 2003 to complete the remeasurement of their fleets in units of GT. As this remeasurement progresses, the estimates of GT are replaced by real values in the fleet register. This inevitably alters the comparability of the situation and the targets that were fixed for tonnage. Strictly speaking the tonnage targets should be recalculated every time a vessel is remeasured. However, for practical reasons the targets are reviewed only periodically. In the meantime there will always be some degree of uncertainty when comparing the actual situation of the fleet with the tonnage targets.

This report takes definitive account of the effect of remeasuring for all segments of the fleet for Belgium and Finland.

Fishing Vessel Register

The multi-annual guidance programmes are monitored using the declarations to the fishing vessel register of the Community. The register contains information on the physical characteristics of the approximately 100 000 commercial fishing vessels in the EU fleets, together with information on the MAGP segment to which each vessel belongs. It thus provides the reference data on the fleet for all aspects of the common fisheries policy.

Previous reports on the results of the MAGP sometimes showed up large discrepancies between the information contained in the fishing vessel register and data supplied by the Member States in their annual national reports. One of the reasons for these discrepancies was that the declarations from the Member States were screened for errors before being accepted into the database. A rejected or suspect declaration was returned to the Member State for correction or checking. This was intended to ensure the reliability of the register, but in practice often led to a divergence between the data in national registers and those in the Community register.

The procedures have now been changed. Member States now have direct access to their own data in the Community fishing vessel register via the Internet using the FRONT (Fleet Register on the Net) application. This means that the national authorities can make immediate corrections if the data in the Community register begin to diverge from those in the national database. In view of this, the capacity figures used in this report are based on the information from the Community fleet register. However some inconsistencies can still be found in the fishing vessel register information, the most important of these being the fact that some vessels do not have a valid MAGP segment code. In the tables that follow, these vessels have been included as unclassified. The Commission departments are working in cooperation with the Member States concerned to rectify this.

Global results

The table Comparison of the actual situation and the overall intermediate target for each Member State at 30 June 2002 shows how the percentages for tonnage and power have changed between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2002.

The * placed next to the tonnage heading (GT*) indicates that the totals are a mix of GT and GRT values. In order to find the total, the GT value is taken first, whether it is the measured value or an estimate. When GT is not available the GRT value is used.

Compliance with capacity objectives

The following table uses the data from the Community fishing vessel register to summarise the evolution of the entire Community fleet since the start of the MAGP IV. The shaded columns show the Member States that had not met their targets laid 30 June 2002.

Since 1 January 1997 the fleet has been reduced by approximately 7.6% in power. In tonnage, the difference would appear to be 3.5%, but this value remains uncertain until the fleet remeasuring has been completed.

Comparison of the actual situation and the overall intermediate target for each Member State at 30 June 2002

>TABLE POSITION>

The figures are given in bold italic type where the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take account of the effects of remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the actual situation and the targets are uncertain, except in the case of Belgium and Finland, for which the remeasurement has been definitively taken into account.

The shaded countries are those for which the targets have not been met.

(*) The vessels based in the French overseas departments (representing about 17 000 GT and 100 000 kW) have not been included in this table since no accurate figures were available for the situation of this part of the French fleet for 1 January 1997.

Segments for which the intermediate targets were met at 30.6.2002.

>TABLE POSITION>

Results by Member State

The following tables summarise the intermediate results of the MAGP IV at 30 June 2002 for each of the Member States.

They show the capacity targets at 30 June 2002 as against the actual situation of the fleet according to the Community fishing vessel register at that date.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met.

The tonnage targets in GT for segments 4A1 and 4A2 are definitive. They will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

For segments 4C4, 4C6 and 4C7, the tonnage targets in GT are definitive. They will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

The tonnage target in GT for segment 4B4 is definitive. It will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

The tonnage target in GT for segment 4E7 is definitive. It will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

For segments 4L1, 4L2, 4L3 and 4L4, the tonnage targets in GT are definitive. They will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

For segments 4F5 and 4F6, the tonnage targets in GT are definitive. They will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

The tonnage target in GT for segment 4N8 is definitive. It will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

The tonnage target in GT for segment 4D4 is definitive. It will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

>TABLE POSITION>

Bold italic type indicates that the targets have not been met. It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

For segments 4J2, 4J3 and 4J4, the tonnage targets in GT are definitive. They will not be subsequently adjusted to take account of the remeasurement of the fleet.

>TABLE POSITION>

It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

>TABLE POSITION>

It should be noted that the tonnage targets have not been revised to take into account the remeasurement in units of GT, so the comparisons between the situation and the targets are uncertain.

Conclusions

Between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2002, the Community fleet was reduced by 71 141 GT and 599 634 kW, representing reductions in fleet capacity of approximately 3.5% and 7.6% respectively. The measurement of tonnage is inexact due to the progressive remeasurement of the fleet. At 30 June 2002 the Community fleet had over-fulfilled its targets, at 19% more than the final MAGP IV targets in terms of tonnage and 13% in terms of power.

Several Member States have failed to meet their targets in a few segments.

The aim of this report is to invite the Member States to take steps to remedy the situation where required and to suspend public aid schemes for fleet segments that have failed to comply with their targets, in accordance with Articles 9 and 10 of Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 [8] and Article 6b introduced into the original fourth-generation programmes by the Commission Decision 2002/652/EC [9] prolonging the multi-annual guidance programmes until 31 December 2001.

[8] OJ L 337, 30.12.1999, p. 14.

[9] OJ L 215 du 10.08.2002, p. 23.