European Parliament resolution on the Commission report on the regional meetings arranged by the Commission in 1998-1999 on the common fisheries policy after 2002 (COM(2000) 14 — C5-0110/2000 — 2000/2070(COS))
Date: 2001-01-17
Institutions: Committee on Fisheries, European Parliament
Subjects: Central and Eastern European countries, EU waters, catch quota, common fisheries policy, economic consequence, fishery management, fishery resources, fishing vessel, international law, territorial waters

18.9.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 262/163

Wednesday 17 January 2001

17.
Requests from the Commission, in the framework of the CFP, an analysis of all aspects relating to
the current derogation from the principle of access to Community waters, focusing in particular on the
different demands relating to the status of this derogation;

Stresses that when closed boxes are created they should not include any discriminatory element and
18.
that their creation and definition in time and space should be based exclusively on scientific opinions
which have explicitly called for such a measure;

Demands that the utmost respect be paid to the need for social, economic and regional cohesion
19.
and that the highest priority be given to maintaining the population and preserving jobs in regions highly
dependent on fisheries;

20.
Calls on the Commission to review the application of the principle of relative stability so as to take
better account of the need for economic, social and regional cohesion, without calling into question this
fundamental principle, and to draw up an exhaustive study of the criteria by which an EU region is defined
as ‘fisheries-dependent’, as well as an analysis of any variations in the classification of such regions since
the CFP has been in force;

21.
Urges the Commission to consider the rapid introduction of social measures for the improvement
of fishermen’s living conditions and conditions of training, work and safety; stresses the need to recognise
and take account of the essential role played by women in fishing communities by means of appropriate
measures;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council, and to the

22.
governments, parliaments and fisheries organisations of the Member States.

13. Regional meetings on the CFP

A5-0332/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report on the regional meetings arranged by
the Commission in 1998-1999 on the common fisheries policy after 2002 (COM(2000) 14 )
C5-0110/2000 ) 2000/2070(COS))

The European Parliament,

0 having regard to the Commission report (COM(2000) 14 0 C5-0110/2000),

0 having regard to Article 14(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 establishing a Community

system for fisheries and aquaculture,

0 having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

0 having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinion of the Committee on

Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (A5-0332/2000),

A. whereas the consultation method adopted by the Commission to sound out the opinions and wishes
of people involved in fisheries regarding the implementation and results of the common fisheries
policy has been a positive experience,

B. mindful of the derogations to the principle of free movement in Community waters as regards access

to waters and resources,

C. whereas account needs to be taken of the future enlargements involving countries of Central and East-

ern Europe,

D. whereas the historic rights of fishermen in the Member States concerned could be reaffirmed in a

spirit of Community partnership,

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E. whereas fishing has for a number of years had significant repercussions on the abundance, variety and

quality of Community fish stocks,

F. whereas the decline in fish stocks represents a serious source of concern for people in the fishing

industry and the general public, which is highly aware of conservation issues,

G. whereas, during this consultation, the majority of people in the fishing industry did not question the

need for a policy on the conservation and management of fishery resources,

H. whereas the consultation has demonstrated that there is a clear need for fishermen and other inter-
ested parties to be involved in the decision-making process, and that their experience and input can
lead to a more workable and realistic system with greater compliance rates,

I. whereas doubts have been expressed on the obligation to discard catches at sea, by-catches or not,

with preference being given to the adoption of more selective fishing methods,

J. whereas the system of TACs and quotas has been criticised by people in the industry who question its
effectiveness and object to the obscure nature of the procedure for setting TACs and the system for
trading in quotas, and whereas the current system encourages the discarding of fish,

K. whereas the MGP (Multiannual Guidance Programmes) system, which has been repeatedly criticised,

must be improved,

L. whereas the efforts made up to now to reduce excess capacity in the European fleet have yielded

unsatisfactory results as regards the reduction of pressure on fish stocks,

M. whereas the vast majority of participants in the meetings accept the need for monitoring and surveil-
lance of fishing activities as an indispensable parameter of any policy on the conservation and man-
agement of Community and international fishery resources,

N. whereas, with regard to the monitoring and surveillance of fishing activities and the imposition of
penalties, there is a feeling of discrimination among people in the fishing industry in each Member
State,

O. mindful of the social and economic importance of small-scale coastal fishing, which represents a valu-
able source of jobs in the regions, an important source of fresh fishery products, providing a supply
for the catering sector, and an invaluable source of European traditions,

P. whereas there is a need to underpin the economies of fisheries-dependent peripheral regions through
the implementation of the common fisheries policy, and to safeguard the particular needs of those
regions, whilst facilitating the necessary diversification,

Q. whereas fishing activity and trade in marine products has been international in nature for many years,
Community market demand for marine products is growing and the trend for Community imports,
which account for around 60 % of overall European consumption, is also rising, and having regard to
the importance of marine products to the processing industry,

R. whereas international fisheries agreements are necessary to Union fishermen,

S. whereas a new approach has been adopted for European Union fisheries agreements, the tendency of
which is to seek greater cooperation with certain third countries in order to support the local fishing
sector,

T. whereas regional fisheries organisations will be called upon to play a more significant role in the near

future and the European Union must play a more important part within such organisations,

U. whereas the majority of people in the fishing industry question scientific opinions on the management

and conservation of fish stocks,

V. whereas representatives of the Mediterranean countries have expressed the wish that a Mediterranean
fisheries policy be introduced, with due respect for the specific characteristics of the Mediterranean
region,

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W. mindful of the calls for the regionalisation of certain aspects of the common fisheries policy and the

lack of agreement regarding the scope of that term,

Wednesday 17 January 2001

X.

Y.

having regard to the need for a broad debate on social and socio-economic aspects (such as the
protection of jobs and safety at sea) in the debate on the common fisheries policy after 2002,

whereas it is imperative that the role and potential of the processing sector in a revised CFP be re-
assessed, bearing in mind two criteria: the value it could potentially add to Community GDP, includ-
ing employment considerations, and the added knowledge the Community would gain in new pro-
cesses, raw material and markets,

Z.

whereas much better consideration needs to be given to the impact of EU policies which threaten the
viability of the fishing and fish-processing industries,

AA. whereas low-priced imports from countries with which the EC has concluded trade and economic
agreements should be reconsidered in the light of experience of the anti-dumping policy of the EC
(whenever the price of exports of fish from third countries is below the cost of production or less
than the price fetched in the home market of the exporting country),

1.

Notes the positions expressed at the regional meetings and approves the Commission’s approach;

Recommends that the general guidelines of Union policy on fisheries be renewed, in particular as

2.
regards the conservation and management of fishery resources;

3.

Urges the Commission to implement the necessary measures to protect the sea against pollution;

Calls on the Commission to reflect on the derogation on access to resources for the 6/12-mile zone

4.
and calls on the Commission to ensure that, in the event of controversy, the status quo is maintained;

5.
In accordance with the majority views expressed at regional meetings, insists that closed areas should
not be discriminatory in any way on the basis of nationality and that the possible creation and spatio-
temporal definition thereof should be based exclusively on scientific opinions which specifically call for
this;

6.
Stresses the obligation to take account of the precautionary principle in decisions concerning the
Community fisheries and aquaculture sectors, a principle which must be defined and applied by adminis-
trators on the basis of scientific data, fisheries activity and the socio-economic situation;

Proposes, in parallel with the application of more selective fishing methods, the introduction of

7.
incentives to reduce the number of discards;

8.
Supports the continuation of the current system of TACs and quotas with the aim of limiting the
rates of exploitation of available fishery resources in order to share them fairly among the Member States;
calls on the Commission to improve the application of the relative-stability principle so as to satisfy to a
greater extent the requirement for social, economic and regional cohesion without undermining that basic
principle, and advocates complete transparency in this area;

9.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to carry out a comprehensive study of the criteria which
would enable a European region to be defined as being ‘fisheries-dependent’, and an analysis of how the
classification of such regions may have varied since the introduction of the CFP;

10.
Recommends the introduction of measures which would enable more comprehensive and more
reliable catch and landing statistics to be obtained and which would require the Member States to provide
the necessary information within given deadlines;

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11.
Calls on the Commission, when it establishes a new framework for the planning and management
of resources, not to overlook schemes such as those represented by the various types of individual quota;

Supports the Commission’s position on extending Multiannual Guidance Programme IV up to the
12.
end of 2002 in order to achieve as good a balance as possible between fishing effort and available stocks,
and on modifying the method for calculating fishing capacity;

13.

Recommends that a fresh census of fishing vessels be carried out in the Member States;

14.
Calls for inspection procedures to be made uniform throughout the Community and for the fines
imposed as punishment for infringements to be harmonised, and therefore reiterates its request to the
Council to adopt the necessary measures to step up the monitoring and surveillance of fishing activities,
and to grant the Commission the necessary powers to ensure that Community rules on monitoring and
surveillance are complied with by the Member States and to impose the appropriate sanctions; strongly
recommends, in this context, the extension of the satellite vessel monitoring system, which is the most
reliable and, above all, the most economical method;

15.
Takes the view that international fisheries agreements play a prime role in the supply of the Euro-
pean market by the European fleet and that the system of fisheries agreements with third countries should
be supported and encouraged;

16.
Calls on the Council to grant the Commission a mandate to negotiate new fisheries agreements
based on wider cooperation with the aim of securing the supply for the European Union and, in the case
of third-world countries, contributing to the development of the fisheries sector in our partner countries;

17.
Supports the view, as to the international cooperation and fisheries agreements concerning the
Common Fisheries Policy, that the Community presence be strengthened and that multilateral agreements
become the rule of the CFP while bilateral agreements be phased out;

18.
Calls for an appropriate framework and a specific policy within the common fisheries policy which
would encourage the establishment of joint ventures with third countries; such ventures would make it
possible to protect jobs, supply the Community market, encourage the development of the fisheries sector
in third countries and reduce the exploitation of Community fisheries resources;

Calls for international fisheries agreements to provide emergency social cover in the EU for workers

19.
on the vessels covered by the agreements who have European citizenship;

20.
Hopes that the European Union’s international policy in the area of fisheries will be developed both
through official participation in new regional organisations and through the strengthening of its represen-
tation within such organisations, accompanied by an increase in the necessary human and financial
resources;

21.
Calls for a market-based policy in accordance with the principle of responsible fishing and a respon-
sible market 0 i.e. observance of minimum sizes, quality policy and the principle of Community prefer-
ence;

22.
Points out to the Commission and Council that they must always take account of international
legislation when drafting Community law concerning fisheries policy and calls for the necessary action to
be taken to speed up the procedure for ratifying the agreement on the conservation and management of
straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks;

23.
Calls on the Commission and Council to support scientific, technical and economic research, in
order to help it establish itself as an indisputable authority on issues concerning the management of
resources, the socio-economic realities of fisheries-dependent regions, the maintenance of employment
and consumer health; accordingly, urges the Commission and the Council to promote inter-state cooper-
ation among scientists and between scientists and fishermen and, in that context, to entrust the gathering
of scientific, technical and economic data and statistical monitoring of all types of fishing,
including
angling, to experts;

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Calls on the Commission to propose, as part of the common fisheries policy, an effective regulatory

24.
system for the Mediterranean;

Calls on the Commission to propose, as soon as possible, a special action programme which will

25.
enable a set of measures to be put in place, taking into account the specific features of the region;

Supports the call from the aquaculture and seafood sector, which is asking for adequate support

26.
from the Community and for greater integration into the common fisheries policy;

27.
Calls on the Commission to define the issue of regionalisation of the common fisheries policy and
lay down the limits thereof, although this must neither affect the decision-making process nor lead to a
break-up of the CFP;

28.
Urges the Commission to give prompt consideration to social and socio-economic measures
designed to improve fishermen’s living and working conditions, to devise measures to ensure workers’
safety in the light of the high accident rate in the sector, and to enhance training programmes and the
development of fisheries-dependent regions; points out that suitable action should be taken in order to
acknowledge and take due account of the essential role played by women in the fisheries sector;

29.
Calls for legislative consolidation of the common fisheries policy, since the fact that it is spread over
a number of legal acts and the fact that the CFP regulations are constantly being amended generate con-
fusion and lead to non-compliance through lack of clarity;

30.
Calls on the Commission to ensure that there are adequate structural measures to ensure the survi-
val of fisheries-dependent communities and, where appropriate, to allow for the diversification of such
communities;

31.
Calls upon the Commission to undertake a revision of the fisheries research commissioned by the
European Community in three areas: the dissemination of scientific studies and research should be greater
and more transparent; multidisciplinary, not purely biological, research should be encouraged, with special
emphasis on reaching an understanding with the organisations representing the fisheries sector on fishing
methods designed to prevent the landing of undersized fish; and research should be carried out into new
species of fish capable of surviving in difficult sea environments;

32.
Calls on the Commission to ensure in the review of fisheries management that fishermen and other
interested parties are involved in the decision-making process; believes that fishermen’s support for fish-
eries regulations will improve if fishermen’s organisations are involved in the decision-making process and
that the involvement of fishermen in introducing and enforcing the regulations will make those regulations
more acceptable; recognises there must be confidence in the validity of the scientific basis underlying the
system;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council and to the govern-

33.
ments, parliaments and fisheries organisations of the Member States.

14. Use of depleted uranium in Bosnia and Kosovo (Balkan syndrome)

B5-0047, 0049, 0050, 0051 and 0054/2001

European Parliament resolution on the consequences of using depleted uranium munitions

The European Parliament,

A. whereas in several European countries there is growing concern about the consequences of exposure
to radiation and inhalation of toxic dust resulting from the use of depleted uranium weapons, which
may have affected a number of soldiers who took part in the military operations in the former Yugo-
slavia, particularly in Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999,