WRITTEN QUESTION E-2922/00 by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission. The killing of dolphins.
Date: 2000-09-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: biotope, by-catch, common fisheries policy, fishing controls, marine environment, marine mammal, protection of animal life

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/97

(2001/C 136 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2922/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 September 2000)

Subject: The killing of dolphins

Is the Commission concerned about the death and suffering of large numbers of dolphins caught in fishing
nets and why did the Commission choose not to attend the third meeting of the Agreement on the
Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (Ascobans) which took place in Bristol on
28 July at which representatives of eight northern European states agreed to send a strong message to the
Commission calling on it to include action to reduce the annual death toll in its current review of the
Common Fisheries Policy?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2791/00 and E-2922/00
given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(10 October 2000)

The Commission is worried about the amount of cetacean and other by-catches in connection with
fisheries. The Commission welcomes the efforts of members of the agreement on the conservation of small
in reducing cetacean by-catches of fisheries. The
cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (Ascobans)
Commission hopes that
the
Community.

the Member States will continue their efforts at

the Council

level of

Due to a heavy workload in the field of nature protection and insufficient resources, the Commission had
to decline the invitation to attend as an observer the last Ascobans conference in Bristol.

However, even if the Community is not a party to the Ascobans agreement, dolphins and porpoises are
protected in the framework of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of
natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1). According to Article 12, in particular, the Member States
shall establish a system of strict protection for those animal species in their natural range prohibiting
deliberate capture and disturbance. The Member States shall also establish a system to monitor incidental
capture and killing.

The Commission reminded Member States of their duty recently in the last meeting of the committee
under the habitats directive.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2001/C 136 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2793/00

by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 September 2000)

Subject: Blackmailing of Community exporters

It is possible that Community exporters are open to blackmail by importers in third countries because of
the stringent rules governing the approval of import documents; in certain cases, a customs document that
may possibly be missing has been (mis)used by importers to pressurise exporters into granting unlawful
discounts, etc as a condition for returning the original customs document properly signed and stamped.

Exporters may in such cases use secondary documentation, but national intervention bodies are in practice
extremely restrictive about approving such documents.