WRITTEN QUESTION E-1437/00 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Organisation for tuna fishing in the Western Pacific.
Date: 2000-05-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Pacific Ocean, fisheries policy, international negotiations, the EU's international role

C 89 E/42

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

(2001/C 89 E/039)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1437/00

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Organisation for tuna fishing in the Western Pacific

(5 May 2000)

Negotiations are being conducted with a view to setting up an organisation for tuna fishing in the Western
Pacific, in which the Community is not involved, despite the interest of our fishing sector. However, the
Community has a special relationship with the countries in the region, in which it also has substantial
fishery interests.

Does the Commission intend to join the negotiations for the creation of this new regional organisation?
Why has it not yet done so?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 June 2000)

The Commission has been invited to participate as an observer at the 4th, 5th and 6th meetings of the
Multilateral High Level Conference (MHLC) on the conservation and management of highly migratory fish
stocks in the Central and Western Pacific.

At the fifth meeting of the conference the Commission obtained the inclusion in the draft text of the
the Community to the future
future convention of provisions allowing the future membership of
organisation.

At the last session of the conference, held in Honolulu from 12-19 April 2000, the Commission requested
its inclusion, as a full participant, at the next step of the process, that is, the interim arrangement that will
be set up to cover the period between signature of the Convention (in September 2000) and its entry into
force (likely to take two to three years). This request, however, was not accepted by the participants to the
conference, on the basis of the resolution adopted in 1999 to the effect of excluding new participants in
the MHLC process.

The Commission is currently examining possible initiatives to try to persuade MHLC participants of the
need and legitimacy of the Community(cid:146)s full participation in the interim regime of the MHLC process.

(2001/C 89 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1438/00

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Transposition of ICCAT recommendations

(10 May 2000)

The meeting of ICCAT in Santiago de Compostela in 1998 adopted a recommendation limiting the
maximum catch of albacore or long-finned tuna at current levels, since it is recognised as an almost fully
exploited species. Fishing capacity would be maintained at the level of recent years, with the number of
boats restricted to the average number operating in the period 1993-1995.

Although the Community promoted this proposal it has not transposed it into Community law and hence
has failed to comply with the recommendation. For this reason, at the ICCAT meeting in Rio de Janeiro
the Commission had to insist on the application of the recommendation although it had already been
adopted.

Is this ICCAT provision being transposed into Community law? Can the Commission ensure compliance
with it in the year 2000?