European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion by the European Community of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Programme (COM(2004)0764 - C6-0245/2004 - 2004/0268(CNS))
Date: 2005-06-08
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU environmental policy, international agreement, marine mammal, protection of animals, ratification of an agreement

25.5.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 124 E/507

TEXTS ADOPTED

Thursday 9 June 2005

P6_TA(2005)0229

International Dolphin Conservation Programme *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclu-
sion by the European Community of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation
Programme (COM(2004)0764 — C6-0245/2004 — 2004/0268(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2004)0764) (1),

— having regard to Article 37 in conjunction with Article 300(2), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to Article 300(3), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council

consulted Parliament (C6-0245/2004),

— having regard to Rules 51 and 83(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A6-0157/2005),

1.

Approves the proposal for a Council decision as amended and approves conclusion of the agreement;

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission, and the governments

2.
and parliaments of the Member States.

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 1

Recital 1 a (new)

(1a) Council Regulation (EC) No 882/2003 of 19 May
2003 (2) established a tuna tracking and verification system.

(2) OJ L 127, 23.5.2003, p. 1.

Amendment 2

Recital 4

(4) The 35th Intergovernmental meeting on the conservation
of tunas and dolphins in the Eastern Pacific Ocean adopted in
February 1998 the Agreement on the International Dolphin
Conservation Programme.

(4) The 35th Intergovernmental meeting on the conservation
of tunas and dolphins in the Eastern Pacific Ocean adopted on
7 February 1998 the Agreement on the International Dolphin
Conservation Programme. The Agreement was signed in
Washington on 21 May 1998 and entered into force on 15
February 1999.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

C 124 E/508

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

25.5.2006

Thursday 9 June 2005

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 3

Recital 4 a (new)

(4a) To date there are 15 contracting parties to this Agree-
ment: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru,
Spain, United States, Vanuatu and Venezuela.

Amendment 4

Recital 5 a (new)

(5a) The European Union recognises the importance of the
Agreement on the
International Dolphin Conservation
Programme (AIDCP) in protecting sustainable fishing, and
its certification scheme as a means of guaranteeing the
particularly
ecological
dolphins.

conservation of

species,

other

Amendment 5

Recital 7

(7) The Community signed the Agreement
with the Council Decision to this end.

in accordance

signed the AIDCP but decided,
(7) The Community
pursuant
to Council Decision 1999/386/EC of 7 June
1999 (1), to apply it provisionally pending completion of the
required procedures
its official accession to the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

for

(1) OJ L 147, 12.6.1999, p. 23.

Amendment 6

Recital 9

(9) The Community decided to apply provisionally the
Agreement (2) until completion of the required procedures
for its accession to the IATTC.

deleted

(2) OJ L 147, 12.06.1999, p. 23.

Amendment 7

Recital 9 a (new)

(9a) By virtue of the provisional application referred to in
recital 7, the ‘Dolphin Safe’ certification provided for under
the AIDCP has been the only one recognised by the Com-
munity up to now.

Amendment 8

Recital 13 a (new)

(13a) The information forwarded through the text of the
AIDCP may help consumers in their decisions relating to
the purchase of products linked to tuna fishing in the area
covered by the Agreement.

25.5.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 124 E/509

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Thursday 9 June 2005

Amendment 9

Recital 13 b (new)

(13b) Regulation (EC) No 882/2003 includes a definition
of both ‘dolphin-safe tuna’ and ‘non-dolphin-safe tuna’ and
provides for, inter alia, the separation and identification of
both types of tuna.

Amendment 10

Article 1 a (new)

Article 1a

The Council shall implement measures allowing the perma-
nent updating of procedures for the tracking and verification
of catches of tuna in the area covered by the Agreement, by
virtue of
the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No
882/2003.

Amendment 11

Article 1 b (new)

Article 1b

Only tuna that conforms with the definition of ‘dolphin-safe
tuna’ included in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2003
shall be allowed to be labelled as ‘dolphin-safe tuna’.

Amendment 12

Article 1 c (new)

Article 1c

The Community shall support measures aimed at ensuring
that an adequate level of information about AIDCP eco-la-
belling is achieved and maintained for the benefit of consu-
mers in Europe.