WRITTEN QUESTION No. 676/97 by Daniel VARELA SUANZES- CARPEGNA to the Commission. Community aid to Galician fishermen fishing for Greenland halibut
Date: 1997-03-06
Institutions: European Parliament, VARELA SUANZES-CARPEGNA
Subjects: EU aid, FIFG, North Sea, Spain, Structural Funds, catch quota, common fisheries policy, financial aid, indemnification, sea fish













EUR-Lex - 91997E0676 - EN






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91997E0676

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 676/97 by Daniel VARELA SUANZES- CARPEGNA to the Commission. Community aid to Galician fishermen fishing for Greenland halibut  


Official Journal C 373 , 09/12/1997 P. 0026 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0676/97 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE) to the Commission (6 March 1997)Subject: Community aid to Galician fishermen fishing for Greenland halibutIn April 1995, Galician fishermen fishing for Greenland halibut had their quota of catches reduced by 74% in NAFO waters following the decision by the Community authorities to adopt a restrictive agreement on sharing such fishing with Canada, thereby giving in to the pressure exerted by that non-EC country, one of the Community's leading trade partners, which had sparked off the dispute by illegally seizing the fishing vessel ESTAI in international waters.Have the fishermen in question received or will they receive any type of Community aid for the losses they have suffered as a result of the position taken by the Community authorities in this matter?Is the situation comparable to that of the North Sea fishermen who, in the early 1990s, had their quota of cod catches reduced by over 50% and were apparently given financial assistance by the Commission?Can the Commission indicate the criteria it uses to decide which groups suffering damage as a result of the acts or actions of the Community institutions shall be entitled to the technical and financial support needed to offset such damage?Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (2 May 1997)The Commission shares the concerns expressed by the Honourable Member though it wishes to point out that under the FIFG (Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance) and the Community Initiative concerning the restructuring of the fisheries sector (Pesca), the Member States can implement the structural measures they deem necessary to achieve the objectives of the common fisheries policy (CFP).The situation was considered sufficiently serious for the Commission to set up a joint working group with the competent national authorities at the end of 1995. The group came to the conclusion that no specific measure was necessary because the Spanish vessels concerned could be redeployed thanks to new fishing opportunities.As far as the situation regarding North Sea cod is concerned, there has been little change in the Community quota since the early 1990s. Accordingly, no special measure has even been contemplated to offset fishermen's income losses in the North Sea.The criteria and conditions for Community structural measures in the fisheries sector are defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 3699/93 of 21 December 1993, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 25/97 of 20 December 1996 ((OJ L 6, 10.1.1997. )).