WRITTEN QUESTION E-3854/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Enlargement and fisheries.
Date: 2000-12-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Baltic States, Central and Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, accession negotiations, common fisheries policy, enlargement of the Union

C 187 E/66

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

Thus there is no discrepancy between the general conclusion of the EPC report on the need to limit
generalised access to early retirement schemes and the specific Commission proposal
for the early
retirement of 600 officials.

(1) COM(2000) 2000 final.

(2001/C 187 E/069)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3854/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 December 2000)

Subject: Enlargement and fisheries

After two years of negotiations with the applicant countries in the Luxembourg Group (Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus) and the start of negotiations with the Helsinki Group
(Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Malta) on 28 March this year, the European Parliament
has adopted a new resolution (R5-0417/2000 (1) of 4 October 2000) on the enlargement of the European
Union, setting out the EP(cid:146)s requests with regard to the accession procedure and the negotiations being held
on the subject. In its contribution to the resolution Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Fisheries made a number of
demands concerning fisheries.

Could the Commission indicate the approximate timetable for the fisheries debate in the context of the
accession negotiations with both the Luxembourg Group and the Helsinki Group and, if appropriate, the
stage reached in the negotiations and the progress made so far?

Can the Commission say whether the fisheries negotiations will take account of the concerns of the
Committee on Fisheries, in particular the urgent need to remedy the considerable shortcomings in the
administration of
the applicant countries as regards environmental and health
standards, as well as inspection and control measures, the need for reliable information on the structure
of the fisheries sector in the applicant countries, the abolition of distortions such as (cid:145)flags of convenience(cid:146),
and the administrative structures needed to provide detailed and reliable information on the fisheries sector
and ensure full compliance with the acquis?

fisheries in most of

(1)

(cid:145)Texts adopted(cid:146) of 4 October 2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(14 February 2001)

The Commission is aware of the resolution referred to by the Honourable Member and can support the
largest part of its recommendations, for fisheries.

Accession negotiations on the fisheries chapter have been opened in April 1999 with Cyprus, Hungary,
Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and in October 2000 with Latvia, Slovakia and Malta.
This chapter has been provisionally closed with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Estonia
and with Slovakia, in the light of the commitments by these countries for their preparations to the full
implementation of the acquis concerning fisheries.

The Commission attaches a particular importance to the development of the appropriate administrative
capacity to implement the Common Fisheries Policy, with a particular emphasis on monitoring, inspection
and control activities. Attention is also paid to the capacity regarding the structural and market measures.
The Commission is also attentive to the development of a fully separate and exhaustive register of all
fishing vessels under the applicant state flag, in full conformity with the Community requirement. As
a consequence of this, it is no longer possible to maintain (cid:145)flags of convenience(cid:146) in the fisheries sector.

As regards the environmental standards, these are dealt with under the Chapter 22-Environment. As
regards health standards, i.e. hygiene and veterinary requirements, these are dealt with under Chapter 7-
Agriculture, including those relating to fish and fisheries products.