GUIDELINES AND INITIATIVES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY
Date: 1986-06-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Atlantic Ocean, EU waters, Mediterranean Sea, Portugal, Spain, common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, enlargement of the Union, fishing area, fishing fleet

COMMISSION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES

C0MC86)  302  final 

Brussels,  12  June  1986

G y i D E L I N E S _ A N D _ I N I T X A T l V E S  

FOR  THE  D E V E L O P M E N T _ O F _ T H E _ Ç O M M O N _ F I S H E R I E S _ P O L I Ç Y

( C o m m i s s i o n   C o m m u n i c a t i o n   to  the  Council)

C O M (86)  302  final

T A B L E   OF  C O N T E N T S

INTRODUCTION

I. 

THE POLICY SOFAR 

II. 

ENLARGEMENT 

III.  OUTLOOK 

A.  THE  CONSTRAINTS 

1· iQ^®£Qii_£Ê22y££SS 
2.  internal_resourçes 

i)  NE-Atlantic 

ii)  Developing  Countries 

iii)  NW-Atlantic 
iv)  SE-Atlantic 

v)  Mediterranean 

vi)  Indépendant  resources 

3.  The  economic  and  social  environment 

B.  G U I D E L I N E S

1■ ê2QË£âi_2£iD2iEi2§
2.  M e t h o d s _ o f _ i n t e r v e n t  ion

3.  Initiatives

1°  External  aspects 

i)  Trade  concessions 

ii)  Negotiation  capacity 

iii)  Exploratory  fishing  campaigns 

iv)  Joint  ventures 

2°  Internal  aspects 

a)  Reso u r c e s

i)  Protection  of  fish  stocks 
ii)  Improvement  in  fish  stocks 

b)  The  products 
c)  The  fleet
d)  The  Integrated  Mediterranean  Programmes 

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INTRODUCTION

The  enlargement  of  the  Community  on  1  January  1986  has  had  particularly 

important  consequences  for  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy  and  especially  for  its 

structural  component  because  of  the  size  of  this  sector  in  Portugal  and  Spain.

At  the  same  time,  the  structural  policy  measures  laid  down  in  1983 

expire  at  the  end  of  this  year,  1986.

The  enlarged  Community  must now define  its  attitude 

With a view to 

the  continuation  of  the  structural  policy  and  to

provide  the  framework  within  which  it  will  be  developed  as  a  essential 

element  of  the  third  generation  of  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy,  while 

respecting  the  decisions  taken  by  the  Council  on  25  January  1983.

In  this  respect,  it  appears  necessary  not  only  to  take  account  of the experience 

of  the past,  but, more  importantly,  to build future policy on firm 

foundations,  starting  from  new  factors  relating  to  the  fisheries  sector  after 

enlargement.  The  basic  element  which  characterises  the  new  equilibria 

resulting  from  enlargement  can  be  found  in  the  external  policy  aspects  given 

the  necessity  to  maintain  and  develop  fishing  possibilities.

An  examination  of  the  sectoral  situation  shows  that  the  Community 

authorities  should  widen  the  debate  beyond  the  framework  of  the  structural 

action  itself  and 
various  elements  making  up  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy.

situate  the  reflection  on  a  wider  plane,  to  include  the 

Such  reflection,  which  the  Commission  w o u l d   ask  the  Council  to 

undertake  without  delay,  should  permit,  at  a  later  date,  the  drawing  up  of 

formal  proposals  which  take  account  of  the  political  guidelines 
developed  at  Council  level.

The  use  of  this  procedure  allows  the  Commission  to  propose  and  the

Council  to  decide  on  the  principal  objectives  which  should  guide  the  Common 
Fisheries  Policy  in  future  years.

A number of points made by Parliament have been taken into account 

in this document.

-  3 -

In regard to content,  this Communication reviews past action and then 

briefly analyses  the new environment of  the fisheries  sector after 

enlargement.  On the basis of these elements  the out cook is described in two 

areas  :

Firstly,  the new situation involves certaines constraints, which can br 

associated with three themes  :

-  internal resources,  in Community waters and in the areas of aquaculture and 

mariculture;

- external resources examined according to major fishing zones and by type 

of agreement concluded with non-member countries,  including fishing 

possibilities  in international waters;

- the economic and social environment of  the sector and its regional 

importance.

Secondly,  the Commission proposes  lines of approach which, having due regard 

to  the constraints mentioned,  should guide future action on the  level both of 

general principles and of more concrete action to be taken in respect of the 

internal and external components of the policy.

-  4  -

I. 

T H E   P O L I C Y   SO  F A R

Nearly  ten  years  ago,  the  Community  had  to  face  a  political  and  economic 
challenge  when  the  fishery  zones  of  most  of  the  North  and  Centre  Atlantic 
maritime  states  were  extended  to  200  miles  from  the  base  lines.

It  reacted  by  strengthening  the  basic  instruments  adopted  in  1970  of  the  "fir|jL 
generation"  of  the  common  fisheries  policy.  This  involved  a  logical  combination 
of  the  various  aspects  of  the  policy  so  as  to  conserve  and  rationally manage 
internal  resources, .ensure  access  to  external  resources,
and facilitate  the adjustment of capacity and production
facilities  to  foreseeable  availabilities  ana  requirements. 
generation"  of  the  policy,  having  four  i n s e p a r a b l e   components,  bore  fruit:

The _.ggçQng_ 

-  Technical  conservation  and  monitoring  rules  enabled  the  Community  to  reverse 
the  alarming  developments  undermining  its  main  stocks^ and  safeguard  others;

-  Fisheries  agreements  with  non-member  countries  served  to  consolidate,  or  at 

least  protect  in  part,  the  Member  States'  essential  fishery  interests,  either 
by  the  establishment  of  reciprocal  rights  or  through  financial  compensation  or 
trade  concessions^'

-  The  market  oraanis^tion  rules  were  amplified  or  amended  in  line  with  the  new 

.

»

'

»

L

U

^  

production  conditions;

-  As  for  policy  on  structures,  the  schemes  introduced  in  1983,  following  up 

Community  and  national  intervention  under  multiannual

temporary  and  specific  schemes  operated  since  1978,  were  designed  to  provide
a  framework  for 
guidance  programme!  whereby  developments  concerning  structures  could  be 
properly  related  tq  the  overall  policy. 
impact  on  operators  of  the  changes  in  the  law  of  the  sea,  the  quadrupling  of 
oil  prices  and  the precarious  state of 
in  the  Community's  fishing  zones.

stocks  of  certain  species  fished

The  aim  was  also  to  cushion  the 

D e spite  the  i n t r o d u c t i o n   of  a  C o m m u n i t y   f i shery  zone  the  r e s o u r c e s   of  which  were 
a s s i g n e d   on  a  p r i o r i t y   b asis  to meeting the requirements of Member States  firms, 
'the Community suffered "heavy losses  in  terms of access  to external resources, 
which it could not offset by an increase  in its  internal resources;  alos ,  the 
oil crises generated formidable problems,  especially for fishermen operating 
in non-Community waters.

two

-  5  -

The  i n d u s t r i a l i z e d   coastal  states  of  the  North  Atlantic, 

e n joying

a  w i n d f a l l   fi s h i n g   pote n t i a l ,   p u r s u e d   a  p o l i c y   of  e l i m i n a t i n g   foreign  fleets 

from t heir  own  w aters  c o mbined  with  incr e a s e d   p r e s s u r e   for  b e t t e r   access  for 

t heir  own  p r o d u c t i o n   to  the  v ery  a t t r a c t i v e   C o m m u n i t y   market;  this  p r essure 
p e r s i s t s   in  the  form  of  a  calls  for  a  greater 
t rade  in  f i s h e r y   pr o d u c t s   which  m ake  no  a l l o w a n c e   for  the  new  restrictions 
on  fishing.

lib e r a l i z a t i o n   of 

To  o f f s e t   this  pressure,  the  Com m u n i t y   is  se e k i n g   to  s t r e n g t h e n   its 
b a r g a i n i n g   p o w e r   in  f i s h e r y n e g o t i a t i o n s b y   e s t a b l i s h i n g   as  far  as  p o s s i b l e   an 
e q u i l i b r i u m   b e t w e e n   access  to  resources  and  access  to  the  market.

By  the  end  of  this  period,  a  b a l a n c e d r e l a t i o n s h i p   b e t w e e n   the  Member 

S tates  had  b e e n   e s t a b l i s h e d   in  the  sha r e - o u t   of  a v a i l a b l e   ov e r a l l   resources 
(except  in  the  M e d i t e r r a n e a n ) ,   although  the  p e r m a n e n c e   of  t hese  resources 
in  t heir  e n t i r e t y   could  not  be  guaranteed.

With  regard  to  me a s u r e s   c o ncerning  structures,  not  enough  time  has 

p a s s e d   nor  are  there  s u f f i c i e n t l y   complete,  u p - t o - d a t e   and  reliable  s t a t i s t i c s  
to  a llow  of  a  final  a s s e s s m e n t   of  the  impact  of  Comm u n i t y   measures.  Data 
in  the  C o m m i s s i o n ' s   p o s s e s s i o n   on  this  q u e s t i o n a r e   given ina working document.  It  is 
clear,  however,  that  the  impact  has  not  b een  uniform:  it  has  b een  important 
for  a q u a c u l t u r e   and  the  e s t a b l i s h m e n t   of  arti f i c i a l   reefs,  s u b s t a n t i a l   with 
regard  to  c h anges  in  the  fleet  and  for  p r o c e s s i n g   and  marketing,  but  n e g l i ­
g i b l e   in  o t h e r   cases  (joint  ventures). 
s t u d y   is  n e e d e d   of  the  relevance  of  these  latter measures and/or of  the extent to 
w hich  they  n e e d   adjus t m e n t .

This  suggests  that  further

N o n e t h e l e s s ,  

the  new  relat i o n s h i p   b e t w e e n   the  a v a i l a b l e   fleet  and 
e x p l o i t a b l e   resources  shows  an  e q uilibrium,  in  p r a c t i c e   b e t w e e n   economic^ 
r e q u i r e m e n t s   and  p o l i t i c a l   and  social  realities;  it  exp r e s s e s   the  d e t e r m i n a ­
t ion  of  the  M e m b e r   States  to  maintain  a  high  level  of  a c t i v i t y   d e s p i t e   un ­
c e r t a i n t y   as  to  their  future,  and  a  d e l i b e r a t e   choice  by  e n t r e p r e n e u r s   in 
f a v o u r   of  fi s h i n g   e v e n   w here  t h e o r e t i c a l l y   the  return  on  the  inves t m e n t s  
falls  short  of  the  optimum.

H .   E N L A R G E M E N T

The  C o m m u n i t y   now  faces  the  c o nsequences  of  the  e n l a r g e m e n t   and  must 
g ive  its  f i s h e r i e s   p o l i c i e s   all  the  impetus  n eeded  for  the  a c h i e v e m e n t   of 
the  f u n d a m e n t a l   objectives,  in maintaining its external situation,  and the 
conservation of the internal equilibria particularly as fishing is an 
important economic activity in both Portugal and Spain.

The  table  below  shows  the  unprecedented  changes  in  the  configuration  of 

the  industry  since  Spain  and  Portugal  joined  on  1  January  1986;  in  addition 
to  the  sharp  increase  in  production  capacity  and  the  Volume  of  trade  and  in 
the  size  of  the  populations  directly  or  indirectly  involved  in  fishing,  it 
must  also  be  remembered  that  the  Community  fleet  has  now  become  heavily 
d e p e n d e n t   on  acess  to  third  country  waters  to  such  a  level  that  this 
d e p e n d e n c e   const i t u t e s   one  of  the  fundamental  aspects  of  the  basic  equi l i b r i a  
in  the  policy.

  6  

-

-

Although,  taken  as  a  whole,  fishing  still  accounts  for  less  than  1%  of 

enjoys  a  proportionately  more  important  place  in  national

GDP,  it 
economic  policy-making  as  this  industry  is  generally  regarded  as  a  uniquely 
sensitive  one  in  the  Community. 
and  related  activities into the economy  and  employment  in  certain  coastal 
regions.

This  is  explained  by  the  input  of  fishing

Therefore,  the  Community  must  prepare  the  "third  generation"  of  its 

fisheries  policy,  adapting  the  various  components  to  the  new  political, 
economic  and  social  circumstances 

which  characterize  the  new  situation.

PERCENTAGE
INCREASE

TOTAL  12-COUNTRY 
COMMUNITY  *

+

+

+
+

41%

40%

46%
94%

+

64%

+ 108%

+
+

29%
50%

78. 000

63. 700

13. 200
1. 100

1.930 .000  GRT

250 .000

5,9  mio  tonnes
5,1  mia  ECU

NUMBER  OF  VESSELS

-  of  which,  less  than 25  GRT
-  of  which,  between

25  GRT  and  250  GRT

-  of  which,  more  than 250  GRT

TOTAL  GRT

NUMBER  OF  FISHERMEN

LANDINGS  (3)

-  quantity
-  value

IMPORTS  (3)

-  quantity 
-  value 

EXPORTS  (3)

-  quantity 
-  value 

1.000 t
MECU

1.000 t
MECU

(1)

+
9%
+ 12%

+
6%
+ 14%

(2)
+ 18%
+ 14%

(1)

2 .405
3 .417

+
9%
+ 13%

1. 243
1. 061

(2)

1.232
2.928

739
788

* Not  including  the  Canaries  ;  (1985)  Source  :  Spanish  Guidance 

Programme

The  figures  for  the  Canaries  are  as  follows  :

-  number  of  vessels  :  2  161
-  of  which,  1  750  of  less  than  25  GRT

245  between  25  GRT  and  250  GRT 
166  more  than  250  GRT

-  total  GRT  :  118  583
-  number  of  fishermen  :  11  720

(1)  All  fishery  products  (1983)
(2)  Excluding oil, meal and waste not  intended for human consumption.
(3)  Including  aquaculture  products.

-  7  -

III.  OUTLOOK

With  a  view  to  the  drafting  of  Community  regulations  preparing  for 

the  future  by  reference  to  the  recent  past,  the  Commission  believes  that 
there  should  be  a  debate  in  the  Council  designed  to  prompt  study  of  the 
longer-term  outlook  for  fishing  in  the  Community, of  the  conditions  in 
which  fishing  can  be  carried  out  and  of  the  choices  which  must  be  made 
to  determine  stock  exploitation  objectives  and,  by  the  same  token,  the 
volume  of  resources  that  can  be  directly  fished by  the  Community.

The  Commission  itself  plans  to  establish  an  objective  assessment  of 
the  outlook  in  the  light ofthe range  of unavoidable  constraints  which  set  the 
framework  for  the  activities  concerned  and  influence  its  development, 
particularly  with  regard  to  production  and  marketing.

A.  The  constraints

1.  Internal  resources

-  The future of the autonomous  stocks  depends  upon  the  rigour  with  which 

the  conservation  policy  is  pursued. 
since  1980  are  kept  up,  the  Community  may  reasonably  look  forward  to 
fishing  possibilities  that  are  stable  averall.  .

Insofar  as  the  efforts  made

-  The  C o m m u n i t y   also 

has  subst a n t i a l   fishery  resources  in  a q u a c u l ­

ture  and  m a r i c u l t u r e .   Much  of  this  work  is  carried  out  on  the  coast  and 
i n v o l v e s   s ome  of  the  local  s e a f a r i n g   popul a t i o n .   The  p o t e n t i a l   is  c o n s i d ­
e r a b l e   and  this  type  of  work  may  play  an  important  role  in  the  s upply  of 
the  C o m m u n i t y   m a rket  and  in  i m proving  the  incomes  of  coastal  p o p u l a t i o n s ;  
it  may  a l s o  

in certain instances  offer an alternative to  sea  fishing.

2.  External  resources

Not  all  the  f ishing  rights  in  the  waters  of  n o n - m e m b e r   c o untries  can 

be  reg a r d e d   as  g u a r a n t e e d   for  the  future.

i)  The  a g r e e m e n t s   with  the  countries of  the  N o r t h - E a s t   A t l a n t i c ,  m a i n l y   b a s e d  
on   the  concept  of  r e ciprocal  rights,  can  p r o b a b l y   be  m a i n t a i n e d   in  the  long 
t e r m   w i t h o u t   d i s a d v a n t a g e   to  the  Community,  b e c a u s e   of  the  combined 
i n f l u e n c e   of  the  f o l l o w i n g   factors  :

-  The  s i t u a t i o n   of  the  joint  stocks,  which  a ccount  for  much  of  the  C o m m u n i t y ' s  

o v e r a l l   catch,  d epends  on  the  c o ncerted  a c t i o n   of  the  p a rtners,  the 
p r i n c i p l e s   of  which  are  now  c o n s o l i d a t e d   by  longst a n d i n g   p r a c t i c e   and
real  s h a r e d   interests;

-  C o n s e r v a t i o n   mea s u r e s   conc e r t e d   by  N o r w a y   and  Sweden  with  pa r t n e r

(including  the  Soviet  Union)  have  a l l o w e d   reversal

cou n t r i e s  
of  the  u n f a v o r a b l e   d e v e l o p m e n t s   a f f e c t i n g   the  main  dem e r s a l   stocks
in  w h i c h   the  C o m m u n i t y   is  inte r e s t e d   north  of  62°  N.  or  in  the  B a l t i c
Sea.

  8  

-

-

-  The  general  framework  of  trade  and  economic  relations  with  the  EFTA- 
countries  has  served  to  strengthen  the  solidarities  based  on  fishery 
interest  between  the  partners,  so  that  fishing possibilities no .longer 
appear’ to be systematically' dependent upon a purely arithmetical 
assessment of  the balance of reciprocal rights.

In  this  new,  permanent  situation,  the  outlook  for  the  enlarged 
Community  is  good  and  the  present  indicators  can  be  taken  as  a  realistic 
basis  for  future  activity,  a  basis  which  might be gradually if modestly 
improved.

With  regard  to  the  developing  countries,  the  future  of  Community 

ii) 
fisheries  is  less  easy  to  predict  in  that  access  to  resources  depends  not 
only  on  the  situation  with  regard  to  exploitable  stocks  (on  which  infor­
mation  is  often 
inadequate)  but  also  on  the  rate  of  expansion  of  the 
national  fleets  and  on  the  relations  of  these  countries  with  other  non­
member  countries,  including  Soviet  bloc  or  Far  Eastern  countries,  which 
are  just  as  keen  as  is  the  Community  to  expand  fishing  possibilities  in 
the  relevant  areas.

The  future  of  Community  fishing  will  depend  in  part 

Under  the  Community's  policy  in  relation  with  the  Lomé  Convention,  there 
will  be  more  fishing  than  at  the  present  time  under  joint  ventures, 
entailing  greater  control  by  the  coastal  state  of  the  exploiration  of  its 
own  fish  resources. 
on  the  extent  to  which  fishermen  are  prepared  to  integrate  more  fully 
into  the  national  economy  by  the  development  of  specific  relationships 
entailing  significant  participation  of  the  economy  of  the  coastal  states 
concerned  in  the  management  of  the  fishing  undertakings  and  in  access  to 
the  control  of  international  marketing  networks;  the  solidarity  based  on 
interest  developed  in  this  way  will  temper  the  uncertainty  inherent  in 
the  present  situation,  under  which  agreements have  to be renegotiated  too 
frequently.
iii)  With  regard  to  the  waters  of  the  north-west  Atlantic,  especially 
those  off  industrialized  states,  the  outlook  is  again  uncertain  :

-  the  fisheries  agreement  with  Canada,  based  on  the  concept  "access 
to  resources  -  access  to  the  market",  runs  out  in  1987  and  no  plans 
for  its  renewal  can  be  made  without  reference  to  the  development  of 
the  conflict  between  the  Community  and  Canada  on  fundamental  questions 
relating  to  the  principles  governing  fishing  outside  the  exclusive 
economic  zones  of  coastal states;

-  the  agreement  with  the  United  States,  based  o<i  access  to  surpluses, 
could  also  be  the  vehicle  for  a  lasting  relationship in so far as  it 
can  also  be  developed  through  cooperation  between  the  interests  of 
European  fishing enterprises and  the commercial”interests of American 
operators;

-  9  -

\

-  the  e x p l o i t a t i o n   of  the  waters  covered  by  the  NAFO  C o nvention  also 
p r o v i d e s   a  p e r m a n e n t   field  of  activity  for  external  fishing;  conser v a t i o n  
e f f o r t s   c o n c e r t e d   at  i n t e r n a t i o n a l   level  and  an  incr e a s e d   effort  with 
regard  to  p r o s p e c t i o n   should  make  it  p o s s i b l e   to  s t a b i l i z e   in  the 
longer  t erm  the  level  of  e x p l o i t a b l e   resources,  and  even  to  ac h i e v e
a  modest improvement;

-  the  d e v e l o p m e n t   of  the  fisheries  a g reement  with  G r e e n l a n d   and  its
n a t u r a l   e x t e n s i o n s   at  the  time  for e s e e n   in  the  o riginal  pr o t o c o l   mean 
that 
of  fi s h i n g   remains  e s s e n t i a l l y   depe n d e n t   upon  the  resto r a t i o n   of  a 
b i o l o g i c a l l y   f a v o u r a b l e   situation;  and  both  partners  are  giving  this 
t heir  full  attention.

f ishing  here  s h ould  be  fairly  stable;  the  actual  level

iiv)  With  regard  to  the  o ther  waters,  i n cluding  those  of  the  sout h - e a s t  
Atlanti c,  the  o u t l o o k   for  the  C ommunity  depends  on  trends  in  stocks, 
i n f l u e n c e d   by  d e v e l o p m e n t s   in  o v erall  fishing,  and  on  the  future  of 
f i s h i n g   a g r e e m e n t s   with  the  coastal  States  concerned;  in  this  connection, 
the  a c c e s s i o n   of  S pain  and  Portugal  opens  new  prospects,  which  must  be 
e x p l o r e d   w i t h o u t   delay.

With  regard  to  the  M e d i t e r r a n e a n ,  the  o u tlook  here,  too,  is  d i s t u r b i n g  

v) 
b e c a u s e   of  e x c e p t i o n a l   g e o p o l i t i c a l   constraints  and  the  p e c u l i a r   b i o l o g y  
of  this  area.

The  stocks  are  h e a v i l y   int e r d e p e n d e n t   and  the  fishing  is  c o n c e n t r a t e d  

inshore;  t hey  are  p a r t i c u l a r l y   s e nsitive  to  vari a t i o n s   in  the  v e r y   br i t t l e  
m a r i n e   e n v i r o n m e n t ,   such  as  is  found  in  a  " closed  sea".  Also,  C ommunity 
f i s h i n g   is  h e a v i l y   d e p e n d e n t   on  access  to  the  coastal  zones 
m e m b e r   c o untries,  which,  t h emselves  facing  dif f i c u l t   eco n o m i c   c i r cumstances, 
are  r e luctant  to  e mbark  on  coope r a t i o n   p olicies  liable  to  b r i n g   C o mmunity 
v e s s e l s   into  their  waters.

of  the  n o n ­

T here  has  also  b e e n   an  a l a r m i n g   increase  in  f ishing  fleets  in  this  area 

f rom  n o n - m e m b e r   countries  located  o u t s i d e   it.

A c c o r d i n g l y ,   the  C o mmunity's  fishing  interests  cannot  be  p r o p e r l y   p r o t e c t e d  

w i t h o u t   s t r e n g t h e n e d   c o o p e r a t i o n   be t w e e n   all  the  coastal  States,  this  also 
e n t a i l i n g   c o n s t r a i n t s   at  in t e r n a t i o n a l   level  with  regard  to  non-coastal 
states.

  10 

-

-

The  intensive  development  of  fisheries  research  by  many  industrialized 

vi) 
countries,  progress  made  in  the  detection  of  fish,  technical  improvements  with 
regard  to  safety  and  in  the  use  of  the  most  efficient  fishing  gear  now  point 
to  the  exploitation  of  fishing  resources  known  to  exist  but  fished  little  or 
not  at  all  in  the  remote  areas  of  the  oceans  of  the  southern  hemisphere.

3.  The  economic  and  social  environment

i)  Fishing  compatible  with  resources  will  be  developing  in  a  context  of 
international  competition  within  which  there  is  a  very  strong  trend  towards 
the  gradual  elimination,  by  all  the  industrialized  countries,  of
trade  barriers.

With  this  prospect,  the  structural  adjustments  must  be  properly 

related  to  the  commercial  environment,  and  action  by  the  authorities  must 
not  aim  at  building  up  permanent  walls  of  protection  for  firms  against 
international  competition  or  at  constituting  a  permanent  factor  in  their 
competitive  strength.

ii)  Fishing  tends  to  be  concentrated  off  the  coasts  of  areas  which  are 
relatively  poor  and  this  constitutes  a  natural  obstacle  to  the  process 
of  adaptation  to  change;  because  the  fundamental  elements  of  the  social 
framework  must  be  maintained  in  these  areas  and  because  there  are  few  alter­
native  jobs,  the  Member  States  concerned  are  apt  to  resist,  passively  or  even 
actively,  pressure  to  adapt,  and  this  has  to  be  borne  in  mind  when
it  comes  to  the  development  of  a  realistic  process  of  reducing  fleets.

iii)  The  relatively  small  share  of  fishing  in  GDP  must  also  be  borne  in 
mind  by  the  authorities  when  making  the  choices  required  to  establish  the 
budget  appropriations  for  this  sector,  failing  which  distortion  harmful 
to  the  balanced  development  of  the  Community  economy  could  be  introduced, 
but  the  regional  importance  of  the  fishing  industry  must  not  be  forgotten.

  11 

-

-

B-  G u i d e l ines

A  structural  surplus  of  fishing  capacity  in  terms  of  actual  available 
resources  generates  fundamental  disequi libria,  leading  to  unemployment, 
protest  and  harship.  The  Community  must  contribute,  on  objective  bases,  to 
establishing  a  permanent  balanced  relationship,  accommodating  unavoidable 
constraints  and  respecting  general  Community  policy  goals.

However,  it  must  also  ensure  necessary  change  without  causing  situations 
unacceptable  in  social  terms  which  could  be  avoided  by  methods  involving 
gradual  and  steady  progress.

1.  General  p r inciples

Most  investments  in  fishing  involve  a  gamble  as  to  the  future  in  that 

i) 
the  lifetime  of  the  equipment  averages  nearly  20  years,  during  which  the  way 
in  which  it  is  used  cannot  be  very  substantially  changed.  Assigned  to  specific 
types  of  fishing,  used  in  waters  determined  in  advance,  such  investment  is 
not  flexible  and  is  therefore  particularly  burdensome.  Accordingly,  the 
Commission  takes  the  view  that  Community  action  must  concentrate  on 
establishing  a  lasting  and  stable  framework  indicating  the  limits  within  which 
fishing  and  competition  between  economic  operators  will  develop,  rather  than 
specific  and  limited  intervention  in  the  natural  development  of  the  dynamics 
of  individual  firms.

ii) 
long-term  perspective.  For  this  purpose,  the  Commission  takes  the  view  that  :

The  guidelines  and  structural  measures  must  be  defined  in  an  overall 

-  guidelines  should  be  set  for  a  ten-year  period  and  the  financial 

allocation  should  be  agreed  for  shorter  but  multiannual  periods;

-  measures  should  be  developed  and  put  in  hand  entailing  financial  support 

with  a  view  to  promoting  in  the  medium  term  an  industry  made  up  of 
economically  viable  enterprises.

iii)  As  funds  are  necessarily  limited,  the  impulse  to  be  given  to  the  policy 
must  be  based  :

-  on  better  exploitation  of  all  the  non-financial  instruments  already 

available;

-  on  concentration  of  funds  available  for  the  policy  on  the  realization  of 

priority  objectives  which  cannot  be  achieved  without  direct  and 
substantial  financial  support.

  12 

-

-

All  this  action  must  be  consistent  with  the  guidelines  for  national  aid 

iv) 
schemes  which  have  already  been  adopted  or  may  be  adopted  in  accordance  with 
the  principles  and  rules  of  the  Treaties.

It  must  also  be  organized  within  a  single  regulatory  framework,  and  it 

v) 
must  be  possible  to  approve  implementation  on  the  basis  of  a  simplified 
procedure  allowing  for  short-term  fluctuations  and  specific  local  or  regional 
situations.  Also,  it  must  be  possible  to  pursue  it  with  maximum  "transparency" 
and  with  the  least  possible  administrative  constraint.

The  effectiveness  of  action  to  adapt  fishery  structures  will  also  depend  on 
the  flexibility  of  implementing  procedures.  In  this  connection,  the  rules 
concerning  the  preparation  of  applications,  the  drafting  of  decisions  and 
their  follow-up  must  be  so  framed  as  to  avoid  the  creation  of  bottle-necks; 
present  machinery  must  be  reviewed  and  adapted  to  simplify  it  as  regards  both 
scrutiny  of  applications  and  payments.

2·  M e t h o d s _ o f i n t e r v e n t i o n

The  proposals  which  the  Commission  is  submitting  the  Council  for 

guidelines  to  govern  the  instruments  of  the  common  fisheries  policy  with  a 
view  to  maintaining  the  policy's  fundamental  equilibria  are  designed  to 
ensure,  by  providing  a  framework  for  the  schemes  operated  by  the  Member  States 
and  by  giving  coordinated  support  to  those  which  Lead  most  directly  on  the 
achievements  of  overall  objectives,  that  the  industry  makes  a  proper 
contribution  to  the  economic  and  social  cohesion  of  the  Community.

The  considerations  set  out  in  this  Communication  show  that  the  a c h ieve­

ment  of  the  objectives  depends  in  the  first  place  on  the  Community's 
unwavering  determination  to  use  its  powers  of  organization  and  negotiation  to 
serve  the  protection  of  its  interpendent  fisheries  interests  as  a  whole.  The 
specific  initiatives  to  be  fostered  through  public  financial  assistance  must 
support  the  overall  approach  and  be  concentrated  on  schemes  essential  to  the 
achievement  of  the  guidelines.

These  interventions  of  a  sectoral  character  must  be  conceived  and 
implemented  within  multiannual  guidance  programmes,  the  relationship  of  which 
with  regional  development  programmes  must  be  clearly  shown.  In  addition,  the 
possibility  of  applying  specific  regional  actions  should  be  envisaged  covering 
the  whole  range  of  fisheries  activities,  involving  the  coordinated 
intervention  of  the  various  Community  financial  instruments  and  involving  a 
priority  in  the  granting  of  Community  aid,  as  well  as  the  chance  to 
participate,  within  the  sectoral  financial  means,  in  integrated  Community 
actions.

Beyond  traditional  subsidy  methods,  support  for  investment  should  be 

contemplated  by  use  of  the  methods  available  under  the  "financial  engineering" 
arrangements,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  multiplier  effect.

Similarly,  the  allocation  of  financial  intervention  within  the  overall 

budget  allocation  assigned  specifically  to  fisheries,  and  the  way  actual 
amounts  paid  are  set  or  varied,  should  reflect  the  degree  of  priority  given  to 
each  of  the  operations  and  the  degree  of  incentive  needed  to  given  impetus  to 
the  development  process  aimed  at.

As  a  guide,  it  may  be  recalled  that  the  Commission  has  entered  in  its 
preliminary  draft  budget  for  1987  an  overall  total  of  127  MECU  as  appr o p r i a ­
tions  for  commitment  and  10  MECU  as  appropriations  for  payment  for  the  new 
policy  on  structures.

-  13  -

Thus,  the  common  fisheries  policy  cannot  be  conducted  along  dynamic  lines  without 
the  convergent  development  of  all  its  components,  and  the  structural  schemes 
proper,  based  on  direct  public  financial  intervention,  must  be  framed  and 
implemented  from  this  point  of  view  in  order  to  provide  the  essential  Impetus 
enabling  the  industry as  a whole  -  bound by  links  of  solidarity  -  to  m  
p r o g r e s s .

3. 

Initiatives

The  Community  is  now  more  heavily  dependent  on  fishing  outside  Community  waters 
and  there  is  also  more  generally,  a wide  gap  between  capacity  and  fishing  possibilities 

theCommunity  must  make  every  effort  to  stimulate,  on  a  coordinated  bas1^,  the 

initiatives  needed  if  the  fundamental  equilibria 
are  to  be  maintained;  the  main  objectives  of  initiatives  taken  must  be  the 
consolidation  of  a  satisfactory  outlook  for  fishing,  both  within  the  Community 
and  outside,  and  the  optimum  exploitation  of  catches,  ensuring  chat  fishing  is 
a  profitable  activity.

now  achieved 

Along  these  lines,  the  Community  takes  the  view  that  the  following  measures  should 
be  put  1n  hand  simultaneously;

1‘ 

External  aspects

To  consolidate  external  fishing  possibilities  on  a  lasting  basis,  the  Community 
must  endeavour  to  strengthen  its  negotiating  position with  non-member  countries  and 
enhance  its  independence 

by  the  combined  use  of  the  following  measures:

(i) 

systematic  preservation  of  scope  for  trade  concessions  so  as  to  render  more 

attractive  the  trade  relations  based  on  the  "access  to  resources  -  access 
to  the  market"  principle;  this  was  indeed  the  method  adopted  by  the 
Community  in  connection  with  the  recent  adaptation  of  the  agreements  with  the 
EFTA  countries  following  the  enlargement  and  the  Community must'maintain  this 

-pproach  in  the  present  negotiations  in  Geneva  m   the  context of  Article  XXIV(6)  o t

ths  GATT.  Provisionally,  the  Community  should  in  the  immediate  future  endeavour 
to  confine  autonomous  tariff  suspensions  to  operations  in  line  with  this 
approach.  Similarly,  it  must  ensure
possibilities  are  preserved  in  the  preparation  and  in  the  conduct  of  the 
New  Round  of  trade  negotiations.

\

\

-  14  -

ii)  Full  use  of  politi cal n e g o t i a t i n g   c a p a c i t y  to  i n d u c e   p a r t n e r s   to 

a c c o m m o d a t e   e s s e n t i a l   f i s h i n g   i n t e r e s t s   on  t he  o c c a s i o n   of 

n e g o t i a t i o n s .

In  c o n n e c t i o n   w i t h   the  a d a p t a t i o n   of  the  c o o p e r a t i o n   a g r e e m e n t s   with 
the  M a g h r e b   c o u n t r i e s   f o l l o w i n g  
e c o n o m i c   and  t r a d e   rel a t i o n s   with  t he  L a t i n   A m e r i c a n   c o untries,  this 
a p p r o a c h   must  be  b o r n e   in  m i n d   consistently  w ith  the  s p i r i t   of  r e c i ­
p r o c i t y  of  interest which must inform the contracting parties.

e n l a r g e m e n t ,   and  the  d e v e l o p m e n t   of 

The  first  w ay  in  w h i c h  this  m u t u a l   i n terest  can  be  e x p r e s s e d   is  t h r o u g h  
close  b i l a t e r a l   c o o p e r a t i o n   o n   a p p l i e d   res e a r c h   for  the  i d e n t i f i c a t i o n  
and  a s s e s s m e n t   of  s tocks  of  c o m m o n   inte r e s t .

Also,  to  a l l o w   for  the  s p e c i a l   f e a t u r e s   of  the  M e d i t e r r a n e a n ,   the 
C o m m i s s i o n   takes  the  v i e w   that  an initial step 
'  c o u l d   be  t a k e n
with  the  M a g h r e b   c o u n t r i e s   to  s t a r t   the  p r o c e s s   of  e s t a b l i s h i n g   p r i n ­
ciples  a nd  rules  for  s t r e n g t h e n e d   i n t e r n a t i o n a l   c o o p e r a t i o n   for  the evaluation, 
c o n s e r v a t i o n   a nd  e x p l o i t a t i o n   of  fish  r e s o u r c e s   in  the  w e s t e r n   M e d i t e r ­
ranean.

iii) 

E n h a n c e d   i n d e p e n d e n c e  for t he  C o m m u n i t y   f leet  of. the  w a t e r s   of 
m e m b e r   c o u n t r i e s   t h r o u g h   e x p l o r a t o r y   f i s h i n g   c a m p a i g n s   involving more 
s y s t e m a t i c   and  m o r e   t h o r o u g h   p r o s p e c t i n g   of  f i s h i n g   a r e a s   a c c e s s   to 
w hich  is  not  c o n t r o l l e d   by  n o n - m e m b e r   c o u n t r i e s .   The  c o m m e r c i a l  
e x p l o i t a t i o n ,   e v e n   if  o n l y   g r a d u a l ,   of  such  a r e a s ,   for  w h i c h   r e a s o n a b l e  
r e s o u r c e   e s t i m a t e s   have  a l r e a d y   b e e n   m a d e ,   c o n s t i t u t e s   a  d e t e r r e n t   w hich 
could  p r o v i d e   a  v a l u a b l e   c o u n t e r b a l a n c e   to  t he  e x c e s s i v e   r e q u i r e m e n t s  
e x p r e s s e d   by  a  n u m b e r   of  n o n - m e m b e r   c o u n t r i e s   b e f o r e   t hey  are  p r e p a r e d  
to  a u t h o r i z e   a c c e s s   to  t h e i r   s u r p l u s e s ;   a l s o ,   d i s t a n t - w a t e r   f i s h i n g  
u n d e r t a k i n g s   can  u se  such  g r o u n d s   to  top  up  t h e i r   c a t c h e s ,   thus 
u n d e r p i n n i n g   p r o f i t a b i l i t y   ( " g e o g r a p h i c   c o m p l e m e n t a r i t y " ) .

n o n -  

P r o s p e c t i n g   t h r o u g h   e x p l o r a t o r y   f i s h i n g   c a m p a i g n s   w i t h   a  v iew  to 
c o m m e r c i a l   e x p l o i t a t i o n   on  a  s cale  in  line  w i t h   t he  f i s h i n g   n e e d s   of  the 
twelve  calls for Community action, to establish conditions  for 
p r o g r e s s i v e   d e v e l o p m e n t s   t o w a r d s   an  e c o n o m i c a l l y   v i a b l e   o p e r a t i n g  
s t r u c t u r e .

B eing  the  r e s p o n s e   to  a  C o m m u n i t y   int e r e s t   of  v ery  g r e a t   i m p o r t a n c e ,
C o m m u n i t y   a c t i o n   must  p r o m p t   c o l l e c t i v e   r ather  t h a n   i n d i v i d u a l  
i n i t i a t i v e s ,   so  as  to  e s t a b l i s h   for  t h e   f u t u r e   a  c o n c e r t e d   o p e r a t i n g  
s t r u c t u r e   on  a  b a s i s   of  s o l i d a r i t y   w i t h i n   w h i c h   i n d i v i d u a l   u n d e r t a k i n g s  
w ork  in  the  s e r v i c e   of  c o m m o n   o b j e c t i v e s   and  inte r e s t s .

The  C o m m i s s i o n   is of t he  v i e w   that  joint  a c t i o n   should take form of the 
p l a n n i n g   of  s u c c e s s i v e   f i s h i n g   c a m p a i g n s   by  a  f i s h i n g   f l e e t   m a d e   up  of 
enterprises of  the  interested Member States,  combining' available fishing 
o p p o r t u n i t i e s   in  t he  w a t e r s   of  n o n - m e m b e r   c o u n t r i e s   w i t h   p o t e n t i a l  
a v a i l a b i l i t i e s   in  waters other  than those of  the EEZ of non­
member C o u n t r i e s ,   m a k i n g   t h e   m ost  of  " g e o g r a p h i c   c o m p l e m e n t a r i t y " .

-  15  -

As an indication,the Commission  believes  that an  action  of  this  type  could, 
in  particular,  promote  the  development  of  exploitable  resources  in  the 
waters  of  the  Antarctic  region,  bearing  in  mind  other  fishing  possibilities  in 
the  waters  of  the  South  Atlantic  and  the  effective  o a r t i cipation  in  the  fishing  of 
substantial  surpluses  in  the  north  Pacific.

The  action  recommended  is  an  extension  of  the  principle  of  aid  to  experimental 
fishing  campaigns  provided  for 
of  different  implementing  procedures,  better  adapted  to  the  scale  of 
what  is  at  stake  and  to  technical  and  economic  constraints  which  cannot 
be  ignored  without  endangering  the  success  of  the  enterprise.

in  Regulation  2909/83  but  on  the  basis 

v)  S t r e n g t h e n i n g   the  c hain  of  m u t u a l   i nterests  b e t w e e n   the  C o m m u n i t y   and

non-member  coastal  States,  particularly ACP, in the waters of which Conmjnity vessels fish, 
by  development  of  joint  ventures  involving,  on  a  permanent  basis,the  fishing 
interests  and  the  commercial 
together  on  a  Lasting  basis.  In  this  context,  the  contributions  Community 
undertakings  can  make,  in  particular  to  "knowhow",  will  play  an  important^ 
part  in  meeting  the  interests  of  the  undertakings  of  the  non-member  countries.

interests  of  both  sides  to  bind  them 

The  Commission  believes  that  the  combination  of  mutual  interests  should 
be  facilitated  by  financial  support,  wherever  the  joint  ventures  may 
be  established;  it  takes  the  view,  however,  that  this  measure,  the  basic 
principle  of  which  is  already  established  by  Reg.  2909/83,  should  be 
confined  to  initiatives  presented  within  an  overall  and  concerted  frame­
work  between  the  main  operators  of  the  Community  for  a  specified  geo­
graphical  area,  with  the  proviso  that  they  involve  significant and  lasting 
p a r t i c ipation  of  the  economic  and  social  interests  of  the  Member  States.

It  s h o u l d   be  n oted  that  this  will  help  to  e n s u r e   that  C o m m u n i t y   r e q u i r e ­
m e n t s   are  met  by  C o m m u n i t y   u n d e r t a k i n g s .   O t h e r w i s e ,   t hese  needs  will 
h a v e   to  be   c o v e r e d   by  imports  made,  in  most  cases,  under  a u t o n o m o u s   s u s p e n s i o n   of 
CCT duties ;in the cincunstances, the  f i n a n c i a l   a ids  paid  to  joint  v e n t u r e s   are 
of  d i r e c t   b e n e f i t   to  the  Comm u n i t y ,   w h i l e   customs  re v e n u e   losses  be n e f i t  
o n l y   e x p o r t e r s   located  in  n o n - m e m b e r   countries.

The  e c o n o m i c   v i a b i l i t y   of  f ishery  e n t e r p r i s e s   w o r k i n g   in  regions  very
distant  from  their  administrative  headquarters  dependsjsignificantly on the cjjality
of  the  technical  and  commercial  management  of  the  fleet  employed.

- 1 5   a -

In this  respect,  particular  care  should  be  taken  regarding  to  the  logistical 
means  on  which  they  may  rely  and  on  their  conditions  of  use.  The  Community 
should  ensure,  in  its  fishing  relations  with  third  countries,  that  the  firms 
have  available  all  the  necessary  technical  facilities  for  ship  repair  and 
supply  and  for  stockage  of  catches  on  satisfactory  financial  terms.  Equally,  a 
particular  effort  should  be  envisaged 
so 
should  have  at  their  disposal  in  Member  States'  OCTs,  adequate  facilities  thus reducing 
built-in  charges  in  the  maintenance  and  running  repairs  of  ships  avoiding 
unnecessary  loading  d i s r uption  in  the  trading  cycle  as  well  as  promoting  a 
greater  supply  con c e n t r a t i o n   in  order  to  have  a  better  accounting  available  in 
the  major  international  markets.

that  the  fishing  fleets  used 

2 ° iQternal_as2£cts

The  maintenance  of  the  basic  equilibria  of  the  common  policy  implies  combined 
actions  towards  firmly  protecting  resources,  adapting  productions  capacities 
as  a  result  and  evaluating  the  results.

To  this  end  and  with  the  aid  of  the  proposals  which  it  has  already  submitted 
to  Council  in  N ovember  1985  for  the  coordination  and  promotion  of  research  in 
the  fishery  sector  together  with  those  relative  to  the  implementation  of 
appropriate  Community  programmes,  the  Commission  considers  that  priority 
should  be  given  to  efforts  in  the  following  areas  :

(a) 

Resources

- 16 -

i) 
Protection of  fish stocks  :  the conservation policy implemented from 
1977 onwards provided a remedy for the disastrous effects of overfishing of 
certain stocks;  the resources can be properly protected only if this policy is 
pursued.  Therefore,  effective monitoring of fishing activities  is needed to 
ensure  compliance at all  times with the regulations on TACs and quotas adopted 
annually.  The Commission is submitting on this  subject a detailed report to 
the Council with a view to an assessment of the results obtained and of  the 
efforts which must still be made  in this field.  It is already clear that even 
if  the  surveillance and monitoring of fishing zones remain in the competence 
of Member States,  the Community can help to improve the efficiency of such 
surveillance,  especially by aiding the compatibility,  the coherence and the 
coordination of  the differing systems of  the Member States.  To this effect, 
financial aid,  modulated according to the differing local situations,  could be 
envisaged following a stocktaking of the present situation.

Improvement of fish stocks  :  the efforts  already made with regard to 

ii) 
aquaculture and the establishment of artificial fixed or movable structures  in 
the coastal  zones will  supplement work on conservation with a view to 
increasing the scope for redeploying fishermen by developing,  in the 
less-favoured inshore areas, new operations of a related nature.

(b) 

The  products

Improvement in marketing conditions  :  the changes due to the accession 
of Portugal and Spain justify adjustments  to the rules and mechanisms of the 
EEC market organization;  the more extensive diversification of  species offered 
for sale and the commercial features of these new products will entail  the 
introduction of supplementary mechanisms designed to establish and rationalize 
the markets without prompting the formation of structural supluses of these 
products of  local or regional interest.  The Commission is now studying these 
problems and will  submit appropriate proposals.

It has also been noted that the market machinery is not always suffi­

cient to adjust production in the desired direction or to affect the 
producer's  income in a way which is  in accordance with the needs of structural 
réadaptation of production capacity.

The  Commission  takes  the  view that  in  this  field  two  sets  of  measures 

entailing  financial  support  should  be  put  in hand  in  the  immediate  future,  for 
the  following  purposes,  independently  of  those  adopted  under  the  common 
agricultural  policy  :

-  investments  in fishing harbours  (auctions,  cold stores,  ice machines, water 

and fuel points,  small repair workshops,  small-scale  infrastructure 
alterations,  etc.)  to be carried out by recognized producers'  organizations 
to improve conditions of production and first sale of fish;

- research and prospection,  for commercial purposes,  of types of processing 
applicable to surplus products or to products deriving from underfished 
species .

-  17  -

(c) 

The  fleet

(i)  Adaptation  of  the  fleets  of  the  Member  States  directly  involved  in 
fishing  in  the  waters  of  the  north  Atlantic  started  before  the  first 
enlargement  as  a  result  of  unilateral  decisions  to  extend  fishing  grounds 
adopted  by  Ireland;  the  process  gradually  gathered  momentum  from  1976 
onwards  and  the  action  with  regard  to  structures  taken  by  the  Community 
in  1983  has  helped  to  achieve  the  present  balance,  which  is,  however,  not 
a  stable  one.

The  Commission  considers  that  a  speciaL  effort,  on  a  priority  basis, 

should  be  pursued  in  this  area  in  order  to  improve  the  relationship  between 
fleets  and  available  resources  in  the  enlarged  Community.  The  Commission 
view  is  that  the  desired  adjustment  -  based  on  the  development  of  the 
resources  situation  -  to  be  effected  during  the  transition  period,  could  be 
achieved  either  by  the  permanent  withdrawal  of  a  proportion  of  the  capacity 
of  the  (fleets  concerned  or  by  a  temporary  withdrawal  of  capacity,  or  by  an 
appropriate  combination  of  the  two  approaches  This  action  may  also  be 
combined  with  a  scheme  for  the  technical  modification  of  a  part  of  the 
fleet  to  adapt  vessels  to  other  types  of  fishing  in  the  same  traditional 
fishing  zone.

(ii)  The  need  to  achieve  in  the  longer  term  a  more  satisfactory  balance 
between  fishing  capacity  and  resources  so  that  fishing  will  be  profitable 
enough  to  ensure  unaided  renewal  of  investment  does  mean  that  further 
encouragement  must  still  be  given  by  financial  support  to  the  renewal  and 
modernization  of  the .fleet,  provided  that  schemes  do  not  entail,  directly 
or  indirectly,  expansion  of  overall  capacity. 
flow  of  accurate  information  on  overall  capacity  and  its  development  over 
time,  cooperation  and  information  exchanges  on  a  stable  and  regular  basis 
between  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  must  be  imporved.

In  order  to  improve  the 

(iii)  The  C o m m i s s i o n   is  a w a r e   that  the  C o m m u n i t y ' s   c o n t r i b u t i o n   to  this 
a d d i t i o n a l   e f f o r t   can  o n l y   be  m o d e s t   a n d   s e l e c t i v e   in  v i e w   of  the  s ize  of 
the  f l eets  c o n c e r n e d   and  the  b u d g e t a r y   c o n s t r a i n t s .  
in  this  context,  that  financial  support  must  be  directed  in  the  first  place 
at  strengthening  safety,  promoting  new  techniques  or  new  gear  ensuring 
better  yields,  and  increased  profitability  of  the  fishing  effort,  and 
preserving  the  specific  social  features  of  fishing.

It  t akes  the  view,

For  t h e s e   p u r p o s e s ,   it  feels  that  the  p r i n c i p l e   a n d   the  p r o c e d u r e s  

g o v e r n i n g   f i n a n c i a l   i n t e r v e n t i o n   s h o u l d   not  be  d i c t a t e d   b y   a r b i t r a r y  
r e f e r e n c e   to  m a x i m u m   c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s   of  the  b e n e f i c i a r y   f leets  a nd  that 
c o n t r i b u t i o n   levels  s h o u l d   not  be  v a r i e d   s o l e l y   by  r e f e r e n c e   to  p r e d e t e r m i n e d  
g e o g r a p h i c   regions.

On  the  contrary,  given  the  relative  mobility  of  the  fleets,  the 

Commission  takes  the  view  that  special  attention  must  be  given  to  the 
nature  and  the  aims  of  the  undertakings  interested  in  modernization  in 
order  to  encourage  also  those  ensuring  fai— reaching  and  permanent  integra­
tion  of  the  operation  of  the  vessel  with  the  other  components  of  the 
local  or  regional  economy.

  18  

-

-

In this field,  the Commission takes the view that special attention should be 
given to artisan-type fishing undertakings which require active involvement of 
the firm's managers and associates  in actual fishing and  in the marketing of 
the production through producers 1 organizations.

It also believes  that this effort to achieve structural adaptation 

should cover direct fishing by the local populations of the Canary Islands, 
Ceuta and Melilla,  and,  for this purpose,  it feels that Community financial 
assistance should be limited to schemes concerning the fleet.

(d) 

The  Integrated Mediterranean Programmes

-  the  Integrated Mediterranean Programmes may also cover schemes 

involving fisheries.  When examining the  IMPs,  the Commission will 
therefore ensure that they are consistent with the objectives of the 
common fisheries policy,  and more particularly with the multiannual 
guidance programmes.