NoC313/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)ontheCommonOrganizationof
theMarketinFisheryProducts(!)
(92/C313/10)
On23April1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon10September1992.TheRapporteur
wasMrSilva.
Atits299thPlenarySession(meetingof23September)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommonOrganizationoftheMarketin
FisheryProducts,establishedbyCouncilRegulation
(EEC)No.3796/81andamendedin1985and1988,is
dueforfurtheradjustmentsasofJanuary1993.These
involveareviewoftheratesdeterminingthequantities
oftunaeligibleforthecompensatoryallowance,elimin­
ationofnationalquantitativerestrictionsandequiva­
lentmeasuresaswellasabolitionoftheautonomous ,
regionalizedpricemechanismandpossiblemeasuresto
replaceit.
1.2.TheCommissionhasalsosoughttoamendthe
above-mentioned Regulationinthelightofmarket
developments ,inordertoinjectanewdynamisminto
thecommonorganizationofthefisheriesmarket.
1.3.Inadditiontochangesinthelegalmechanism,
themainamendments addresstheneedtomakethe
CommonFisheriesPolicymorecomprehensive andcon­
sistentwhileboostingsynergybetweenitsdifferent
aspects,giventheirdistinctiveorigins.comingunderCMOruleshas,inspiteofpriceincreases
forsomespecies,sometimesdepressedfisheries'rev­
enues.Insomecasesthepriceincreaseshavealsocre­
atedaddeddifficultiesfortheprocessingindustrywhich
hasnotmanagedtorecouptheincreases.
2.2.1.Ontheotherhand,competitionfromproducts
fromthirdcountriesdoesnotencouragepriceincreases
whichmightcompensateforthelossestriggeredby
implementing stock-management measures.Herethe
Committeestresseshowcrucialpricesupporthas
becomeforsecuringtheeconomicviabilityoflarge
areasofproduction .
2.3.MindfuloftheobjectivessetoutintheTreaty,
theCommitteeendorsesthemovetoboosttherole
playedbyproducers'organizations .Itdoes,however,
feelthatforproducers'organizationstobemoreactive
andassumegreaterresponsibilities ,therightconditions
shouldbecreatedatCommunityandnationallevelto
makethemmorerepresentative .
2.3.1.OneoftheseconditionscouldbethatMember
States,inkeepingwiththeirusualpractices,ensure
effectiverepresentation inproducers'organizationsof
shipownersandcrewswhichshoulderalargepartof
thefishingsector'sbusinessrisk.
2.3.2.Thiswouldalsoenableallinterestedparties
toplayamoreeffectiveroleinthemanagementof
fishingquotasnowthattheRegulationattributesthese
responsibilities totheproducers'organizations .
2.3.3.Asregardsthepossibilityofextendingpro­
ducerorganizations'agreementsandpracticestooper­
atorswhoarenotmembersoftheseorganizations ,the
Committeestressesthatrecoursetosucharrangements
mustbeonanexceptionalbasis.
2.3.4.Producers'organizationsinoutlyingareasface
greaterdifficultiesinadaptingtomarketrequirements .
SomeofthemostremoteoftheCommunity'soutlying
regionssuchastheAzores,CanaryIslands,Madeira
andtheFrenchOverseasDepartmentsarebeingincreas­2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteefeelsthatingeneraltheCom­
monOrganizationoftheMarketinthissector,with
allthechangesithasundergonesinceitwassetupin
1970(2),hasfulfilleditstasksatisfactorily .
2.2.TheCommitteewould,however,stressthefact
thatdwindlingfishstocksandtheconcomitantdropin
TACsandquotas(3)havealteredtherationale
(quantity/price)behindtheCMOarrangements .The
dropinlandedtonnageforalargenumberofproducts
(!)OJNoC134,25.5.1992,p.1.
(2)Regulation (EEC)No2142/70inSpecialEditionofthe
OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 1970(III),
December1972,p.707.
(3)Currentestimateshighlighttheplightofdemersalspeciesin
particular.

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/23
inglyaffectedbytheiroutlyingpositionandstructural
shortcomings ;forthisreasontheCommission's
decisiontostepupitsaidforestablishingandstrength­
eningproducers'organizations isfullywarranted .
2.4.Inlinewithitspreviousrecommendations (*),
theCommitteeendorsestheCommission'seffortsto
improveCMOmechanisms,inparticularitsmovesto
simplifymarketmanagementmeasures.
2.5.However,itisnotquiteclearwhymovesto
simplifythewithdrawalandcarry-overmechanisms
havetobebackedupbyacutinfinancialcompensatory
amounts .
2.6.TheproposaltoreduceCommunitysupportfor
tunaproductionisunwarranted .Inactualfact,despite
anoverallincreaseintunaconsumption ,thepresent
stateoftheworldmarketintunadoesnotwarrant
ameasurewhichwillhitallCommunityproducers,
particularlythoseinthemostremoteoutlyingisland
regionsofSpainandPortugal.
2.6.1.TheCommitteerecommends areviewofthe
compensatory paymentmechanism'smethodoffunc­
tioning.Thereoughttobeincreasesintheintervention
thresholdforthecompensatory payment,thevolume
ofproductswhichcanbenefitfromthispaymentand
thepaymentitself.
2.7.TheCommunityisstilldependentonimports
forsupplyingitsmarket,particularlyforsuppliestothe
processingindustry.
2.8.TheCommitteereiterates(*)itspreviousempha­
sisontheneedtoensurethatimportsdonotdestabilize
Communityproduction .Mechanismsregulatingtrade
havetobeimprovediftheyaretoprotecttheCom­
munitymarket.Importswillthusbeabletoplaytheir
fullroleinsupplementing Communityproduction .2.9.Intradewiththirdcountries,theCommittee
emphasizestheneedforfullapplicationoftheprinciple
ofaccesstowatersinexchangeformarketaccess.
2.10.Improvements inqualitytogetherwithprogress
inthequestfornewusesforfisheriesproductsare
twobasicobjectivesformakingallpartsofthesector
profitable.TheCommitteeregretsthattheproposal
doesnotincludeanyspecificmeasuresforencouraging
improvements inproductquality,althoughitrecognizes
thattheCommissionistakingstepsinthisdirection.
3.Specificcomments
3.1.Article6(1)
3.1.1.InthePortugueseversiononly,amend
'Article7'toread'Article5'.
3.1.2.Amend'theMemberStatemaygrant...'to
read'theMemberStateshallgrant...'.
3.2.Article12
3.2.1.Althoughitisimportanttohelpavoidprod­
uctsbeingdestroyed,theCommitteefearsthatthe
currentprovisionscouldreduceproducerorganiza­
tions'capacitytogenerateinterest.
3.3.Article21
3.3.1.Thereverseshouldalsobepossibleinthe
eventofanincreaseinCommunityproduction .
3.4.Article24(2)
Sincetheseareemergencymeasures,thefollowing
wordingisrecommendedattheendofthesentence:
'...withinfiveworkingdaysfromreceiptofthe
request.' (!)OJNoC339,31.12.1991.
DoneatBrussels,23September1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH