WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3758/97 by Jens-Peter BONDE to the Commission. Size of plaice and sustainable development
Date: 1997-11-21
Institutions: BONDE, European Parliament
Subjects: conservation of fish stocks, fishing regulations, marketing, marketing standard, sea fish, weight and size

8. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174/121

(98/C 174/185)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3758/97

by Jens-Peter Bonde (I-EDN) to the Commission

(21 November 1997)

Subject: Size of plaice and sustainable development

Will the Commission explain how reducing the size of plaice from 27 to 22 cm is consistent with sustainable
development?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 1998)

In its proposal for a Council regulation laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery
resources (1), the Commission proposed to decrease the minimum size for plaice from 27 cm to 17 cm.

The  Commission(cid:146)s  new  proposals  for  minimum  sizes  of  marine  organisms  were  based  on  a  number  of
considerations. These include establishment of the correct match between mesh size used and minimum size,
marketing issues related to landings of small-sized fish and prevention of targeted fisheries for small-sized fish
with nets of too small mesh sizes. In the case of plaice, the Commission(cid:146)s main consideration in formulating the
proposal was to establish a high degree of consistency between mesh size predominantly used and minimum
size.

The  Council,  for  various  reasons,  was  not  able  to  adopt  this  proposal  and  instead  adopted  a  decrease  of  the
minimum size from 27 cm to 22 cm.

As this minimum size maintains a fair consistency with mesh sizes used for catching plaice, this compromise was
acceptable to the Commission.

(1)  OJ C 292, 4.10.1996.

(98/C 174/186)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3766/97

by Cristiana Muscardini (NI), Gastone Parigi (NI)
and Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(21 November 1997)

Subject: Safety standards in European legislation

A number of Member States, including Italy, do not observe current Community provisions on safety standards,
not just with regard to workplaces, but above all where treatment and rehabilitation centres are concerned. The
provisions governing safety standards are contradictory in some Member States, Italy being one example. Will
the Commission therefore open an investigation in all the Member States, in order to ascertain that European
safety legislation is being implemented, and formal notice on countries which are failing wholly or in part to
fulfil their obligations?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 1998)

Monitoring the implementation of Community law is an ongoing activity of the Commission which, in the case
of the directives on health and safety at work, is still developing since it was only fairly recently that the time
limit for transposing the directives expired.

For more information on the Commission(cid:146)s monitoring activities, the Honourable Member is referred to the 14th
annual  Commission  report  to  the  Parliament  on  monitoring  the  application  of  Community  law (1)  and,  in
particular, to its annex entitled (cid:145)Report on the application of directives(cid:146).