European Parliament resolution on the common fisheries policy and the challenge of economic globalisation (2000/2027(INI))
Date: 2001-01-17
Institutions: Committee on Fisheries, European Parliament
Subjects: World Trade Organisation, common fisheries policy, fishery management, fishing controls, fishing industry, globalisation, international negotiations, liberalisation of trade

18.9.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 262/157

Wednesday 17 January 2001

11. Globalisation and the common fisheries policy

A5-0365/2000

European Parliament resolution on the common fisheries policy and the challenge of economic
globalisation (2000/2027(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the preamble to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinion of the Committee on

Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (A5-0365/2000),

A. whereas economic globalisation in the sense of the interrelationship between economies, undertakings,
societies and cultures is a growing phenomenon linked to progress in transport and the new techno-
logies which will necessarily entail innovations in all sectors of the economy and in the model of
European society,

B. whereas globalisation may bring about an improvement in conditions for trade in goods and services,
which will be beneficial for a large section of the population, but at the same time it is foreseeable
that it may have harmful effects on traditional sectors of our economy which need to be safeguarded,
and the public authorities therefore have an obligation to take the appropriate measures for their
protection,

C. whereas improving trade conditions for transactions is not an end in itself but must be linked to the
search for greater quality of life for the whole of the population of the Union, so that the economy is
an instrument which serves society,

D. whereas policies geared to promoting full employment and satisfactory working conditions, particu-

larly in the fisheries sector, must be a priority in Community action,

E. whereas the fall in the cost of commodities which, from a strictly commercial point of view, the
phenomenon of globalisation may bring about in the fisheries sector may also give rise to crises,
causing serious damage to or indeed the disappearance of sensitive sectors which should be main-
tained for reasons not strictly economic in nature, such as preventing population drift from coastal
areas or contributing to the integration and cohesion of local economies,

F. whereas globalisation should encourage production to develop in the direction of integration and

specialisation, so as to enable greater benefit to be extracted from resources,

G. whereas fishing is an economic activity which is increasingly operating at world level as regards
obtaining fishing resources, deploying fleets in search of resources and supplying markets and the
processing industry,

H. whereas negotiations are currently underway within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with a view
to greater trade liberalisation, and these negotiations may have significant repercussions on the struc-
ture of Community fisheries policy,

I. whereas the debates within the WTO in relation to the fishing sector cannot be restricted to aspects
solely linked to market access, on which the Union’s position is already highly liberalising given its
status as a great importing power; whereas consumers must be protected by means of appropriate
health checks and inspections carried out on imported products and an analysis should also be made
of the fishing sector in all its facets, including openness to investment and the right of establishment
in third countries,

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J. whereas the conservation of the marine environment and the rational management of exploitable
resources are a priority for Community action, such action being necessary to safeguard the future
of the fishing industry,

K. whereas, if they are to be effective, strategies for the conservation of species and marine biotopes,
which transcend the scope of state sovereignty, need to be envisaged at regional or world level, and
this requires efforts towards coordination on the part of all those involved,

L. whereas the Union has an overriding interest in promoting the development of and compliance with
the International Law of the Sea, the FAO Code of Conduct for responsible fisheries, the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 and the Agreement on the conser-
vation and management of straddling stocks (fish which are found both inside and outside exclusive
economic zones) and highly migratory fish stocks,

M. whereas a wide-ranging debate is currently being held within the Community institutions, the Member
State administrations and the industry itself with a view to the forthcoming reform of Community
fisheries policy, which will apply beyond the year 2002 and in which the phenomenon of globalisa-
tion and its consequences will need to be properly integrated,

N. whereas regional fisheries organisations (RFOs) are an effective instrument for the responsible manage-
ment of fish resources and represent the most appropriate means of combating undesirable phenom-
ena such as over-exploitation of resources, the existence of pirate ships and ships operating under
flags of convenience which fish outside the rules of responsible conduct for the conservation of mar-
ine resources,

O. whereas, in accordance with the principle of adequate resources for the common fisheries policy, the
EU institutions should have sufficient human and material resources to be able, within the RFOs, to
represent and protect the interests of the fisheries sector and those of the EU countries affected,

P. whereas the EU should pay much more attention to fisheries and regard it as a strategic economic and
social activity in order to guarantee future employment for the sector and the protein-food supply for
the European and world population,

Q. whereas the review of the common fisheries policy (CFP), which is required by law to take place in
2002, will need to take account of the world context of economic globalisation and the role to be
played by European fleets and industry in this new context of globalisation,

1.
Reiterates that the protection of marine biotopes and the conservation of fishery resources in a sat-
isfactory condition to guarantee sustainable development and rational exploitation of species represent the
principles which should govern Community and world fisheries policy, and failure to respect these princi-
ples would jeopardise the very viability of the sector;

2.
Calls for further improvement of the existing CFP mechanisms designed to combat over-exploitation,
such as the setting of multi-species and multiannual TACs, or for new experimental mechanisms to be
introduced with a view to reducing the current large volume of discards, which represent an incalculable
waste of protein of a high nutritional value;

3.
Calls on the Commission to take specific action to protect the young fish of species which are at risk
or which are being over-exploited, by establishing close seasons, restricting fishing activities in certain
areas and encouraging the adoption of selective fishing methods with a view to increasing the number of
fish of breeding age and thereby ensuring that, over the long term, fisheries resources are satisfactorily
renewed and fishing activities remain viable;

Urges the Commission and Council to adopt a coherent strategy as regards WTO negotiations on the

4.
liberalisation of trade in the fishery product sector based, inter alia, on the following considerations:

(cid:1) Community fishing activity cannot be analysed from a purely economic angle based on the exchange
of goods. Fishing in the European Union is multifunctional in nature, it contributes towards the inte-

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gration of the social and economic fabric of coastal areas, representing a way of life and a factor for
cohesion in large areas along our coastline while at the same time guaranteeing food supply;

(cid:1) recognition of a situation characterised by the need for massive imports to meet growing demand for
fish products for human consumption, together with the existence of a fishing and processing industry
whose protection requires that some specific restrictions to the open Community trade regime be
maintained for sensitive products;

(cid:1) the adoption of a comprehensive approach in trade negotiations so that account is taken not solely of
tariff-reduction aspects but also of significant issues for the Union such as the right of establishment
and of investment in third countries and free access to their ports;

(cid:1) liberalisation of trade in the fishing sector cannot entail concessions with regard to the environmental

standards and health and food safety conditions which apply in the European Union;

(cid:1) in the trade negotiations now underway, account must be taken of social aspects so as to favour only

those initiatives which are framed by satisfactory working, health and work-safety conditions;

5.
Urges the Commission and Council to continue their endeavours to provide structural support for
the sector, maintaining the existing forms of aid which do not entail an increase in overall fishing effort, in
particular those forms of aid which bring about environmental improvements or improved protection for
the marine environment and which are intended for the fleets belonging to countries which have fulfilled
the commitments laid down in the successive Multiannual Guidance Plans (MGPs);

Calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to match the Community fleet to existing European
6.
and world resources by preparing a new, credible Fleet Guidance Programme which reflects the actual state
of the sector and which may be applied effectively and fairly to all fleets and to all those working in the
sector, irrespective of their nationality;

7.
Recognises that, under the new international economic order prevailing in the fisheries sector, the
effective conservation of fisheries resources, protection of the marine environment and the practising of
sustainable, long-term fishing will be possible only if there is agreement and cooperation amongst all the
countries involved;

8.
Takes the view that, in the new globalised economy, Community fishing activity needs to develop
new and wide areas of cooperation with third countries, playing a part in the development of the fishing
industry of other countries, establishing itself there and taking part on a joint basis in its investment and
business projects, with full legal guarantees, including those relating to employment rights and the working
conditions of seamen;

9.
Takes the view that the Union should play a leading role in the development of and proper compli-
ance with the International Law of the Sea adopted at the United Nations; to that end, the Council and
Commission should promote the conclusion of international agreements aimed at boosting responsible
fishing and trade;

10.
Reiterates that the European Union must participate in all regional fisheries organisations (RFOs)
which already exist or are set up in the future and should also promote new RFOs which are of interest
to the EU, given that these are the most appropriate instruments for managing marine resources to be
found in the high seas or on continental shelves which are shared by more than one state. The Commu-
nity’s role, degree of representation and participation in the carrying-out of their activities should be com-
mensurate with the powers held by these organisations, and at all events more human and material
resources should be allocated than is currently the case, in line with the interests of the Community fishing
sector which are at stake on each occasion;

11.
Calls on the Commission and Council to study and propose, in the appropriate fora, a new alloca-
tion of votes to the EU within RFOs, which is more consistent with the large number of states embraced
by the EU and represented by the Commission, rather than regarding it merely as one state among others;

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12.
Calls for the position to be adopted by the Commission within RFOs to involve dialogue with the
fisheries sector and with representative Community institutions, with the European Parliament to have
observer status at RFO meetings;

13.
Takes the view that the European Union should continue its efforts to prevent the marketing of
fishery products obtained in breach of the provisions adopted within RFOs, but that it should also take a
more active stance, promoting the development of legal instruments which will enable the international
community to take out of action vessels which, operating without any flag or with flags of convenience,
jeopardise the efforts being made to apply the rules contained in the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea and render them meaningless;

14.
Urges the Commission to propose initiatives designed to penalise Community operators who, by
fishing under flags of convenience, flout Community or international law, thereby setting a pernicious
example of unfair competition, which undermines the confidence which those working in the Community
fisheries sector have in the management capabilities of the EU’s public authorities;

15.

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

12. Fisheries and aquaculture (1996-1998)

A5-0333/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment on the application of the Community system for fisheries and aquaculture in 1996-1998
(COM(2000) 15 / C5-0109/2000 / 2000/2069(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission report (COM(2000) 15 (cid:1) C5-0109/2000),

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

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinion of the Committee on

Development and Cooperation (A5-0333/2000),

A. whereas the Commission’s triennial report to Parliament must be welcomed, both as a resume of past
events and as an indication of its thinking in relation to the 2002 review of the Common Fisheries
Policy (CFP),

B. whereas account must be taken of the socio-economic importance of the fisheries sector, not only in
terms of its direct and indirect job-creating role but also for the economic development of numerous
regions and fishing communities which depend on it to a great extent,

C. whereas small-scale coastal fishing is of considerable importance for job protection in many of the
EU’s fisheries-dependent regions, for supplies of fresh fish and for the preservation of traditions and
cultures in the Union,

D. whereas the state of the stocks is generally unsatisfactory, although the natural fluctuations in pelagic
stocks such as herring and mackerel are being well coped with by strong management measures,

E. whereas the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) is unable at present
to identify the causes of the poor situation of fish stocks, and is unable to comment on whether
MAGPs have influenced their current status,

F. whereas good progress has been made over the period in relation to technical conservation measures,

yet more work remains to be done,