European Parliament resolution on the Commission report to the Council and the European Parliament on the application of the Community system for fisheries and aquaculture in 1996-1998 (COM(2000) 15 — C5-0109/2000 — 2000/2069(COS))
Date: 2001-01-17
Institutions: Committee on Fisheries, European Parliament
Subjects: Mediterranean region (EU), aquaculture, common fisheries policy, fishery management, fishing industry, fishing net, third country, trade agreement (EU)

C 262/160

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Wednesday 17 January 2001

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,

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

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

. 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,

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G. whereas it is essential that fishermen have confidence in the scientific advice on the basis of which
management decisions are taken, and fishermen and their representative organisations must therefore
be allowed greater participation and involvement in the decision-making process of the CFP,

H. whereas the Commission has taken the initiative to reform both the STECF and the Advisory Commit-
tee on Fisheries; whereas there is a need for increased research to improve the quality of scientific
data, better analysis of the socio-economic aspects of the industry and its repercussions on economic
and social cohesion in the regions of the Union, fuller statistics on labour accidents in the sector, their
causes and the means of combating them, the recruitment into the sector of new generations who can
ensure its future, and the promotion of measures which result in the greater added value of seafood
products,

I. whereas there is a belief within the fisheries sector that the application of MAGPs has not been man-
aged in a fair and equitable manner,
leading to the requirements of the successive MAGPs being
implemented in an uneven fashion in the Community fleets and resulting in discrimination against
certain Member States,

J. whereas the Commission has initiated a cost/benefit analysis concerning third-country agreements, and
although only a limited number of Member States have benefited from such agreements in the past,
they have been found to benefit the EU as a whole, create jobs, reduce the Union’s trade deficit, ensure
supplies of fisheries products to the Community markets, and have a positive impact on numerous
indirect and related activities: processing, transport, marketing, port activities, shipbuilding and ship
repairing, and investment in technology,

K. whereas the reform of the common organisation of the market has strengthened the role of producers’

organisations and introduced the requirement for traceability in fisheries products,

L. whereas although good progress has been achieved in the area of monitoring and control, more needs
to be achieved particularly with regard to the strengthening of the powers of Community inspectors
and the harmonisation of penalties,

M. whereas it is necessary to ensure that the Community system of control is applied strictly to third-

country vessels operating in Community waters,

N. whereas it is essential to encourage greater participation in the CFP so that fishermen, the organisa-
tions representing them, NGOs, consumer associations and the fishing industry in general can acquire
a more direct stake in decisions relating to the CFP,

O. whereas it is necessary to stress yet again that regionalisation of fisheries policy is by no means the

same as renationalisation of fisheries policy,

P. whereas closed boxes should always be non-discriminatory in character and be based exclusively on

scientific criteria in terms of both time and space,

Q. whereas access arrangements must reflect, in accordance with Article 158 of the Treaty, social, eco-
nomic and regional cohesion, and must safeguard regions where local populations are heavily depen-
dent on fisheries,

R. whereas the fisheries debate must take account of the hitherto neglected social aspects,

1. Welcomes the Commission’s triennial report and stresses that the dysfunctions of the CFP must be
corrected by a reform in 2002 based on the integration of fisheries into the single market and greater
coherence with the rest of the Community policies;

2.

Regrets the present unsatisfactory state of fish stocks;

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3.
Believes in relation to technical conservation measures that still more progress can be made through
the increase in mesh size for certain species, the regulation of mesh thickness/rigidity, the use of square
mesh panels for juveniles of certain species, the regulation of the length of certain tackle, and the applica-
tion of closed boxes where scientific reports so advise;

Calls for harmonisation of the technical measures for all the Mediterranean countries and the imple-

4.
mentation of a fishing effort management system for the area;

5.
Calls for consideration to be given to a new model of fish stock management in the longer term,
with planning over time and greater emphasis on a multi-species approach, so as to avoid the discards
which occur under the existing TAC system;

6. Welcomes the initiatives taken by the Commission to strengthen its dialogue with the industry and
believes that these should be reinforced;

Believes that fisheries agreements with third countries are an essential part of the CFP and should be
7.
consolidated and extended to cover more countries, with the possibility of linking the negotiation of such
agreements to the relations of the countries concerned with the EU and the global facilities offered in
return; considers, in this connection, that the EU budget should include specific headings for the financing
of fisheries agreements;

Believes that scientists should include information obtained from fishermen in their research in order

8.
to establish mutual confidence;

9.
Reiterates that MAGPs have operated in a discriminatory fashion without producing any major ben-
efits to the fishing sector as a whole; considers that those Member States which have complied with the
objectives should not be penalised with fresh reductions in their fishing effort while the other Member
States have not complied with the objectives of the previous MAGPs;

10.
Suggests that from 2002 the parameter of the engine power of fishing vessels should no longer be
used to calculate fleet capacity, and recommends a weighted calculation of the capacity of each state’s fleet
which takes account of the various vessel segments and the various categories of length and tonnage;

11.
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; hopes that in the future more Member States will be able to derive benefit
from third-country fisheries agreements;

Repeats its long-standing call for the introduction of a quality label for Community fisheries and

12.
aquaculture products;

Reiterates its demand that the Community inspection service be strengthened and given powers

13.
equivalent to those of national inspectors;

Calls for uniform inspection regimes throughout the Community and the harmonisation of penal-
14.
ties for infringements; consequently, 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.
Calls for strict enforcement of the Community control system with regard to third-country vessels
operating within EU waters and to landings by such vessels in Community ports, especially in the case of
vessels flying flags of convenience, with a view to preserving the Community market and ensuring that the
interests of the Community fisheries sector prevail;

Confirms the unity of Community fisheries policy and the validity of the existing decision-making

16.
process, which must not be affected by the debate on regionalisation;

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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,

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

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

system for fisheries and aquaculture,

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

. 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,