WRITTEN QUESTION No. 7/99 by Jaime VALDIVIELSO DE CUÉ to the Commission. Fisheries
Date: 1999-01-19
Institutions: European Parliament, VALDIVIELSO DE CUE
Subjects: Basque Country, France, Spain, authorised catch, fishery management, fishery resources, fishing area, fishing regulations, marine life, protected species

15.10.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 297/133

before the operations took place. Can the Council confirm or deny the this assertion? Should it be confirmed,
what measures does the Council propose to take?

Reply

(26 April 1999)

The Honourable Member would have noticed that no common position on the matter had been defined by the
Council. The information and consultation obligations have been respected. Under those circumstances, the
Council fails to see how Article J.1(1) and (2), Article J.2(1) or Article J.8 of the Treaty on European Union had
been infringed.

(1999/C 297/183)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0007/99

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE) to the Commission

(19 January 1999)

Subject: Fisheries

The Franco-Spanish seminar on the fishery resources of the Bay of Biscay, which was organised by the Spanish
Oceanographic Institute (IEO) and the French Institute for Sea Fishing (FREMER) and in which the Basque
Institute of Fishing Science and Technology also took part, closed on Friday, 27 November 1998. The
seminar’s conclusions drew attention to the threat hanging over most of the fish species to be found in this
area and to the urgent need for a fishery resources management plan to be drawn up for the area.

What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure the survival of this area, which is of great social and
economic importance to the Basque Country?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 1999)

The status of fish resources in the Bay of Biscay, as described during the joint French/Spanish seminar, does not
differ substantially from the situation of other fish resources in adjacent areas and, generally speaking, of
Community waters. In fact, some important species such as hake, megrim, anglerfish, mackerel, form
exploitable stocks which extend well beyond the limits of the Bay of Biscay.

The measures foreseen for the improvement of this situation are, therefore, not exclusive to the Bay of Biscay.
They comprise notably the usual limitations of catch (TACs) (Council Regulation (EC) 48/99 of 18 December
1998 fixing, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, the total allowable catches for 1999 and certain
conditions under which they may be fished (1)) and the strict enforcement of the measures recently adopted on
technical specifications of fishing gear (Regulation (EC) 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of
fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms (2)). Other
measures will also help alleviate the poor state of the stocks, such as the effort limitations (Regulation (EC)
2027/95 of 15 June 1995 establishing a system for the management of fishing effort relating to certain
Community fishing areas and resources (3)) and the capacity limitations specified in the multi-annual guidance
programmes (MAGP) for the period 1997-2001 (Commission Decisions No 119/98 to 131/98 (4)). Other
legislation associated with markets and socio-economic aspects is being developed in order to ensure the
sustainability of the fishing sector.

(1) OJ L 13, 18.1.1999.
(2) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998.
(3) OJ L 199, 24.8.1995.
(4) OJ L 39, 12.2.1998.