European Parliament resolution on the review of certain access restrictions in the Common Fisheries Policy (Shetland Box and Plaice Box) (2005/2190(INI))
Date: 2006-02-14
Institutions: Committee on Fisheries, European Parliament
Subjects: Scotland, common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, fishery management, fishing area, fishing rights, sea fish

29.11.2006

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Tuesday 14 February 2006

16.
Stresses that no measure may be lifted until the reasons for its application have ceased to exist, and
calls for the introduction of additional measures if existing measures have not yielded results after a con-
siderable period;

17.
Recognising that the need for unanimity within the Council in order to initiate a consultation pro-
cedure has made it more difficult to apply the clause, calls for the abolition of unanimity for initiating a
consultation procedure, and for the revision of Article 300(2) of the EC Treaty, which limits the role of the
European Parliament in such cases;

Points to the importance of drawing the attention of the public at large to the fact that the human

18.
rights and democracy clause is provided for in agreements between the EU and third countries;

Considers that for the special case of countries with which the EU shares fundamental values and
19.
common policies for the long term, such as the countries concerned by the ‘new neighbourhood policy’,
one might consider signing agreements that go beyond the human rights and democracy clause, based on
the sharing of common institutions for promoting democratic principles and human rights, on the example
of the Council of Europe and/or other regional institutions;

20. With particular regard to the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, with which
the European Union maintains particularly close links through association agreements, the clause should
specify that the signatories of such agreements should grant each other — on a mutual basis — the right
to observe their legislative and presidential elections; calls on the Council and the Commission to further
encourage the countries concerned to admit international observers at the time of their elections, in the
interests of transparency;

Stresses that, for elections to be considered democratic, free and fair, certain preconditions must be
21.
met,
inter alia, respect for political and civic rights, respect for freedom of expression and
including,
information, equal access to the media and respect for political pluralism, so as to offer electors a real
choice;

22.

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

P6_TA(2006)0057

Common Fisheries Policy (Shetland Box and Plaice Box)

European Parliament resolution on the review of certain access restrictions in the Common
Fisheries Policy (Shetland Box and Plaice Box) (2005/2190(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament
entitled ‘Review of certain access restrictions in the Common Fisheries Policy (Shetland Box and Plaice
Box)’ (COM(2005)0422),

— having regard to Articles 18 and 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002
on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries
Policy (1),

— having regard to Article 29 of Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conser-
vation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organ-
isms (2),

(1) OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 59.
(2) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2166/2005 (OJ L 345, 28.12.2005,

p. 5).

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— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A6-0016/2006),

1.
Notes that the Commission has now fulfilled its commitment under Article 19 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 2371/2002 to make an assessment of the justification for restrictions on access to waters and
resources outside the 12 mile zone in relation to the Shetland Box and the Plaice Box;

Notes that, for a variety of reasons, the evaluations have taken considerably longer than was initially

2.
anticipated;

3. Welcomes the decision of the Commission to consult widely with the industry and with the Member
States before forming an opinion on this important topic;

4. Welcomes the role of the North Sea Regional Advisory Council (NSRAC) in providing advice to the
Commission on the operation and effectiveness of the Shetland Box and the Plaice Box and calls on the
Commission to draw on further advice from the NSRAC in its further evaluation of the Boxes;

5. Welcomes the decision of the Commission to maintain the Shetland Box for a further three years
while further evaluations of the Box are undertaken as a first step towards ensuring that the fishing com-
munities in that region are protected by a fisheries regime which will safeguard their future as a sustainable
industry;

Notes that the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) recommended that

6.
the Shetland Box should be kept in place;

7.

Notes that the NSRAC recommended that the Shetland Box be continued pending further evaluation;

Considers that, should the proposed further evaluations of the Shetland Box take longer than the
in line with the

8.
three-year period currently anticipated, the current regulation should remain in force,
STECF advice;

9.
Notes that the STECF suggested that eliminating the Shetland Box might result in some increase of
fishing effort in the area and that it further noted that any such changes that could lead to an increase in
fishing effort in the area should be avoided;

Notes that the UK and German authorities supported the retention of the Shetland Box and that the

10.
UK government has stated that changes are neither necessary nor desirable;

Notes that the Shetland Box is an area of importance for haddock, whiting and monkfish and that

11.
the STECF considers that this is now possibly more so than at the time when the Box was established;

12.
Also notes with alarm the finding of the Commission's expert working group established to assess
the effectiveness of the Shetland and Plaice Boxes that, in general, stocks of commercial interest in the
Shetland Box are outside the safe biological limits, save as regards haddock and saithe;

Calls on the Commission to make a quantitative evaluation of the likely effects of any changes to the

13.
Shetland Box;

14. Welcomes the decision of the Commission to retain the Plaice Box and associated access restrictions
pending further study;

15.
Notes that the German authorities support the retention of the Plaice Box and that the UK govern-
ment notes that any decision should be taken in the context of future flatfish management and the advice of
the NSRAC;

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16.

Notes that the conservation objective of the Plaice Box is clear;

Calls on the Commission to conduct its review of the Plaice Box in the light of future flatfish man-

17.
agement, including the plaice recovery plan;

18.

Notes that the expert working group highlighted the socio-economic importance of the Boxes;

Further notes that the expert working group considered that one of the objectives of the Shetland

19.
Box is to provide protection for fisheries-dependent communities in the north of Scotland;

20.

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

P6_TA(2006)0058

Heating and cooling from renewable energy sources

European Parliament resolution with recommendations to the Commission on heating and cooling
from renewable sources of energy (2005/2122(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Article 192, second paragraph of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to Rules 39 and 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to its resolution of 29 September 2005 on the share of renewable energy in the EU and

proposals for concrete actions (1),

— having regard to the Communication from the Commission 'Energy for the Future: Renewable Sources

of Energy — White Paper for a Community Strategy and Action Plan (COM(1997)0599),

— having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs on the proposed legal basis,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (A6-0020/2006),

A. whereas there is at present no legal provision concerning heating and cooling from renewable sources

of energy,

B. whereas no proposal within the meaning of Rule 39(2) of the Rules of Procedure is in preparation,

C. whereas directives to promote renewable sources of energy in the fields of electricity and transport have

resulted in, or boosted, sustainable development in the Member States,

D. whereas market developments in renewable energies in the individual Member States, which vary enor-
mously from one to another, are due for the most part not to differences in potential, but rather to
different, and in some cases inadequate, political and legal framework conditions,

E. whereas the promotion of a renewable energy market will help to achieve the new Lisbon objectives by
increasing employment in the Member States and by increasing the Member States' and the EU's
research and innovation effort,

(1) Adopted texts, P6_TA(2005)0365.