WRITTEN QUESTION P-0735/00

by Anneli Hulthén (PSE) to the Commission

(6 March 2000)

Subject: Fishing agreement with the Baltic States

The dispute between Swedish and Baltic fishermen in the Baltic Sea has escalated. Swedish west-coast fishermen have difficulties fishing in Swedish waters because Baltic fishermen are blockading the fishing grounds. Under an agreement with the EU, the Latvian and Lithuanian fishing fleets are entitled to fish part of their national quota in the Member States' fishing zones. Foreign fishing boats are required to report their entry into and departure from Swedish fishing zones. Previously, the reports were made directly to the Swedish coast guard. Now, they are sent via Brussels which causes delays of several days and, as a result, the boats manage to leave Swedish waters before the coast guard has received notification.

How does the Commission intend to resolve the apparent problems of supervision and coordination?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 April 2000)

As the result of a declaration adopted at the Council of fisheries ministers in December 1995, the Commission subsequently submitted a report on monitoring Community conservation and management measures applicable to third-country fishing vessels(1). On the basis of this report, it was concluded that it was necessary to reinforce controls on such vessels and that this was possible under existing legislation.

Under Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy(2), it is the duty of each Member State, within its territory and within maritime waters subject to its sovereignty or jurisdiction, to check on, inspect and monitor all fishing activities, including fishing by third-country vessels.

In 1997 and 1998, respectively, Swedish coastguard vessels carried out 46 and 23 inspections at sea on vessels flying the flag of Baltic states. This number of inspections represents an inspection rate of between 1 % and 3 % on fishing trips by the vessels concerned. The Commission considers that these efforts could be increased appreciably.

As for the hailing system for notifying entry into and exit from the area monitored, Baltic vessels are required to use the radio stations listed in the Community legislation.

These radio stations notify the Commission of such transmissions, and the Commission passes them on to all the Member States concerned. Thus the Swedish authorities will also receive all transmissions, including those from Baltic ships operating in the Danish and German sections of Community waters. Although this does not normally take more than a few hours, it can be as long as 48 hours over a weekend. In practice, this time lapse is not a problem for the Swedish authorities because almost all transmissions by Baltic vessels (more than 98 % of messages) are sent via the Gryd coastguard station in Sweden. The Swedish coastguard will therefore actually have them before they are notified to the Commission.

The real problem for the inspection authorities is in fact the inaccuracy of the geographical positions transmitted by Baltic vessels. When the Commission's own inspectors visited the area, their checks showed that no vessels were to be found near the locations declared. The Commission also discovered that some messages are not even transmitted by the vessel master but by an agent on land.

In any event, the hailing system is now no longer relevant as a result of the reinforcement of the Community rules on monitoring of fishing by vessels of third countries decided on in December 1998. From the beginning of this year, all vessels of more than 24 metres overall, including third-country vessels, are subject to monitoring by satellite. Under this system, the inspecting authorities receive the geographical positions of vessels, without involvement of the vessel master, at least every two hours in real time. This powerful tool means that all geographical positions of Baltic vessels can be monitored continuously.

Full application of the present rules will make it possible to achieve effective controls if adequate resources are assigned to monitoring fishing activities. The number of Baltic vessels operating at any one time in Community waters is on average not more than about twenty.

In order to improve the quality and intensity of inspection and monitoring of fishing in the Baltic in a general way, the Commission convened a meeting in Brussels at the beginning of 1999 in which all the coastal states of the Baltic participated. A second meeting of this kind will be held on the island of Bornholm (Denmark) in April 2000.

(1) COM(96) 493 final.

(2) OJ L 261, 20.10.1993.