Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2561/2001 aiming to promote the conversion of fishing vessels and of fishermen that were, up to 1999, dependent on the fishing agreement with Morocco" (COM(2003) 437 final — 2003/0157 (CNS))
Date: 2003-10-29
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: ESC opinion, employment aid, fight against unemployment, fisherman, fishing industry, redevelopment aid, redirection of production

C 32/66

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

5.2.2004

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council
Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2561/2001 aiming to promote the conversion of fishing
vessels and of fishermen that were, up to 1999, dependent on the fishing agreement with
Morocco’

(COM(2003) 437 final — 2003/0157 (CNS))

(2004/C 32/14)

On 4 August 2003 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under
Articles 36 and 37 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned
proposal.

On 23 September 2003 the Committee Bureau instructed the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development
and the Environment to undertake the preparatory work.

In view of the urgency of the matter, at its plenary session on 29 and 30 October 2003 (meeting of
29 October) the European Economic and Social Committee appointed Mr Chagas as rapporteur-general
and adopted the following opinion by 66 votes in favour, with two abstentions.

1.

Introduction

2. The Commission proposal

1.1. When the Council adopted its Regulation 2561/2001,
which aims to promote the conversion of fishing vessels and
fishermen that until 1999 were dependent on the fishing
agreement with Morocco,
it included in the regulation a
number of derogations from certain provisions of Regulation
(EC) No 2792/1999 laying down the detailed rules and
arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in
the fisheries sector. It also approved complementary appropri-
ations for structural and socio-economic measures.

These decisions were justified as an exceptional
1.2.
measure to facilitate the implementation of the conversion
plans for Community fleets affected by the non-renewal of the
fishing agreement with Morocco, and to provide the resources
needed for individual or collective plans enabling fishermen to
take early retirement or retrain for work outside the sea fishing
sector.

It is worth noting that, as proposed by fishermen’s
1.3.
organisations, a minimum of 32 % of the total amount of aid
was to be allocated to socio-economic measures.

Brussels, 29 October 2003.

The Commission proposal

2.1.
introduces a series of
amendments to address the exceptional situation that has
arisen. The aim is to reach a maximum number of fishermen
and treat them on an equal footing by abolishing the rules
which currently restrict the grant of individual lump sums
exclusively to fishermen whose vessel has permanently stopped
its activities.

2.2.
At the same time, the Commission proposes to extend
by twelve months the period of eligibility for aid and the final
date for submitting the request for payment of the balance.
the period of
The reference date for taking account of
unemployment is to be set at 1 January 2002.

3. General comments

3.1.
The Committee supports the amendments proposed
by the Commission, which are designed to address problems
in implementing the exceptional regulation adopted in 2001
and to reach a maximum number of fishermen affected by the
breakdown of negotiations for the renewal of the fishing
agreement with Morocco.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH