Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions — The Common Fisheries Policy on the ground: towards sustainable and resilient coastal communities in the EU
Date: 2023-11-29
Institutions: Commission for Natural Resources, European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: aquaculture, coastal protection, coastal region, common fisheries policy, fishery management, fishery product, inshore fishing, marine ecosystem, regional development, sustainable fisheries








C_202401043EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/1043


9.2.2024






Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions — The Common Fisheries Policy on the ground: towards sustainable and resilient coastal communities in the EU
(C/2024/1043)













Rapporteur:



Jesús GAMALLO ALLER (ES/EPP), Director-General for External Relations and Relations with the European Union, Region of Galicia









POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,








1.


welcomes — despite the delay — the published evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), and the fact that this has been done as part of a package ‘to improve the sustainability and resilience of the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sector’;












2.


calls for a balance to be maintained between the three sustainability pillars of the CFP (environmental, economic and social) to safeguard the long-term viability of the sector; recalls that a healthy marine environment provides the basis for thriving fish stocks and a profitable fishers and aquaculture sector; recalls that fisheries and environmental policy must be aligned but that environmental objectives must not prevail over those of the Common Fisheries Policy;












3.


believes that this evaluation must lead to genuine reform of the CFP, following an ordinary legislative process that ensures greater transparency and a genuine impact assessment, with all stakeholders properly involved;












4.


given the need for balance between the EU’s various policies, calls for the next Commission to have a separate maritime and fisheries portfolio not linked to the environment, as is currently the case. Sustainable development is a policy that cuts across sectors and should therefore not be organically linked to just one of these policies;





Fisheries and aquaculture as part of our future









5.


calls for the CFP’s general and specific objectives to be laid down in a fully implementable, clearer and more practical way, reflecting the characteristics of each EU region, and believes that creating a Fisheries and Oceans Pact, and recognising fishers and aquaculture farmers as guardians or administrators of the sea, can contribute to this; the strategic role of fishers and aquaculture farmers in the food value chain and in ensuring food security by providing high quality healthy food to consumers must not be overlooked;












6.


recalls that the deteriorating state of marine ecosystems threatens the fisheries and the communities that depend on them for their livelihoods; stresses that insufficient monitoring and control provided in the current EU Marine Protected Areas is alarming and was already criticised by the Court of Auditors report in 2020; draws attention to the impact on these areas of many other activities, apart from fishing;












7.


urges the European Commission to strengthen the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management, including by increasingly applying multi-species approaches, in order to minimise the negative impacts of fishing activities and other factors such as climate change on marine ecosystems, fish populations and society and to ensure ocean resilience to climate change: reiterates that fully documented fisheries and quality data is key to improving fisheries management;












8.


considers that technological renewal of production structures, especially fishing vessels, is vital and should be carried out using the available margins of fishing capacity in the EU; moreover, deems it necessary to review the eligibility of new climate-friendly coastal fishing vessels (< 24 m, < 221 kW), without incentivising the development of additional fishing capacity so that support is in line with the provisions adopted under the CFP, with the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and with the UN Sustainable Development Goals; calls for fishing capacity to be redefined to exclude the tonnage related to safety and health on board from the calculation;












9.


underscores the importance of the CFP’s social dimension and calls for action to ensure the generational renewal of people employed in the sector, through better working conditions, vocational training, greater professional and social recognition generally and, in particular, the inclusion of women;












10.


encourages the harmonisation of formal qualifications in the field of fisheries and aquaculture so as to foster greater mobility among professionals in the EU;












11.


stresses the role of fishing communities in getting people to remain in remote areas and maintaining the tangible and intangible cultural fisheries heritage, and stresses the need to help bring them back to life as the backbone of these regions;












12.


reiterates the commitment to achieve the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) objective without compromising the economic and social sustainability of coastal communities. Although these targets have been mandatory since 2020, only some sea basins, such as the North-East Atlantic, have made progress towards meeting them;












13.


calls for steps to make the marine ecosystem management system based on total allowable catches (TAC) more effective, calls on the Commission and the Council to consider introducing multiannual ceilings and keeping them to an absolute minimum;












14.


points out that, as a result of climate change, the behaviour and distribution of many species are changing, making it necessary to readjust the allocation of quotas to match fishing opportunities; calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the concept of relative stability;












15.


stresses the need for a change to the landing obligation, underpinned by a more accurate record of catches and aligning fishing opportunities with the characteristics of each area, the fishing gear used and dependency on the activity;












16.


calls for the CFP to be backed up by improved scientific research, with a comprehensive data collection system to which the sector should be able to contribute directly and easily; social sciences must be included in the best available science in order to inform decision-making, so that robust, systematic evidence on economic and social aspects is generated;












17.


calls for the Commission to strengthen the dialogue between representatives of industry, workers, representatives of recreational fishing and environmental NGOs. This dialogue should be conducted in a structured and balanced manner, building on existing institutions such as Advisory Councils (ACs); with all a balanced composition and proper representation of all relevant stakeholders;












18.


highlights the role of small-scale coastal fishing as a decisive factor in encouraging people to remain in coastal areas and in promoting a dynamic local economy, especially in the outermost regions; calls, therefore, for a proper definition of this type of fishery, such as the one used by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which also sets out the specific characteristics of shellfishing on foot;












19.


calls for political and financial support for small-scale coastal fishing, adopting measures such as replacing the TAC system with another one based on fishing effort, and for the renewal of the fleet, something which is vital to improve safety and liveability and to ensure that women are included in the sector;












20.


underlines the positive cooperation in the management of maritime and fisheries activity between regional authorities and organisations with a long-standing tradition such as fishers’ associations, and therefore calls for them to be recognised as having the same status as producer organisations;












21.


supports comprehensive ocean governance and proper recognition of the CFP’s external dimension as a way of advancing ocean sustainability and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; believes that all areas should be covered by regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs);












22.


stresses the important role that sustainable fisheries partnership agreements have played and calls for them to continue as a way of supporting partner states in improving sustainable fisheries policies, and for these policies to be applied to all fleets operating in their fishing grounds;












23.


points to the need to establish ways of collaborating and cooperating with the EU’s neighbouring countries, both in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, in order to jointly ensure sustainable and equitable fisheries management, using all regulatory means available, especially in the area of trade;












24.


underlines the need to ensure a level playing field with certain foreign fleets with low social and environmental standards that fish in the same zones with EU operators and commercialise their products on the EU market. This is fundamental for the competitiveness of EU fleets and aquaculture producers;












25.


recognises the important role played at international level by joint ventures of European enterprises in the development of the countries where they are based, especially in Africa;












26.


stresses that aquaculture plays a key role in food security and jobs. Any future reform of the CFP should promote the sustainable development of aquaculture and technological innovation, especially fish farming and shellfish and mussel farming, and should always be compatible with existing fishing activities; and adhere to environmental legislation;












27.


reiterates the need for a ‘one-stop shop’ for licensing procedures, which would greatly improve the relationship between the end-user and the different levels of public administration, as well as the need for coordination between public policies with an impact on the aquaculture sector;





Improving our fishing sector to make it more sustainable









28.


recognises the importance of healthy marine ecosystems for the prosperity of the EU’s regions, supporting the establishment of protected marine areas; the establishment of these areas should in any case be appropriate, necessary and proportionate in accordance with the conservation objectives and should be based on a relevant legal basis and a socioeconomic impact assessment; draws attention, however, to the inconsistency of making cuts in fishing areas or gear while at the same time seeking to ensure European food security;












29.


underlines the socioeconomic implications of the measures proposed by the Commission and calls for a gradual and sustainable transition for all EU regions, in the search for the best fishing practices with adequate financial support in line with the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), or if this is not possible, to ensure fair and dignified compensation mechanisms. The aim is to use low-impact fishing gear, set appropriate fishing restrictions to keep by-catches of sensitive marine species to a minimum and allow permanent cessation of activity when requested;












30.


recognises that bottom fishing can have an impact on the environment, but points out that a differentiated approach needs to be taken to this practice in terms of its environmental impact and the goods to be protected, and highlights its socioeconomic importance for many of the EU’s coastal regions and the existence of species that can only be caught using towed gear. Likewise, the Committee stresses the importance of decisions being informed by available evidence and by knowledge based on experience with the sea bottom. General measures with irreversible effects on the sector should be avoided;












31.


suggests that, when national roadmaps are drawn up, the measures needed to comply with the plan should be carefully outlined and implemented and monitored at regional level jointly with the Commission;












32.


stresses the need to improve oversight systems to combat illegal fishing. The fact that authorities apply controls and sanctions unevenly makes them less effective; hopes therefore that the approach in the new Fisheries Control Regulation brings improvements;












33.


agrees that the oversight of commercial and recreational fisheries should take place in accordance with the CFP’s sustainable objectives and using a licensing system; hopes that the forthcoming entry into force of the new Fisheries Control Regulation makes progress in this regard;












34.


calls for specific control systems to be established to distinguish catches from recreational fishing for personal consumption, preventing them entering sales channels;





Towards emissions-neutral and proactive fishing in the face of climate change









35.


underlines the responsibility that all productive and social policies and fields have in improving the state of the seas and calls for measures to control pollution commensurate with its environmental impact, while avoiding giving maritime and fisheries activities the main role in this area;












36.


calls for a renewed inter-regional commitment to establishing greener fleets, especially by promoting the use of alternative marine propulsion systems;












37.


stresses that climate change is putting additional pressure on food production systems and points out that fisheries and aquaculture are a highly efficient way of producing animal protein owing to their low carbon footprint;












38.


welcomes the Commission’s plan to launch a new multi-stakeholder energy transition partnership, with a view to joining forces to achieve climate neutrality by 2050;












39.


calls for more EU and Member States support for the renewal of the fisheries sector, its decarbonisation and improved safety standards, through increased funding opportunities and awareness-raising in the sector, in line with existing EMFAF and state aid rules;












40.


welcomes the Commission’s plan to compile a study on the technologies available for the energy transition in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and its plan to design the ‘ship of the future’;












41.


supports the development of workers’ skills to prepare them for the energy transition;












42.


understands the need to phase out public support for fossil fuels and redirect these funds towards the decarbonisation of fleets, but warns of the difficulty of putting it into practice if there is no harmonised approach among Member States. It would also be desirable, in the context of the WTO, to promote harmonisation of taxation across all countries producing fishery products in order to avoid distortions of competition; calls on the EU and its Member States to be a forerunner on this topic;





Towards a fair and equitable global market









43.


considers that aquatic protein should be promoted as a key element of food security due to its exceptional nutritional content and contribution to health in the form of a balanced diet, as well as its low carbon and water footprint;












44.


recommends promoting local markets and short-circuit distribution chains for fishery and aquaculture products in order to cushion the effect of fluctuations on world markets;












45.


calls for more precise common marketing standards for fishery products sold in the EU so as to ensure a transparent internal market that supplies high-quality products;












46.


reiterates the importance of preventing seafood products that do not comply with EU standards from entering the European single market in order to ensure a framework for fair competition;












47.


objects to inconsistencies between the CFP and the common commercial policy, especially in the area of preferences and tariff quotas, which create serious distortions of competitiveness in the seafood market;












48.


recognises the role of the common market organisation (CMO) for fishery and aquaculture products (FAP) in the sustainable management of marine ecosystems, fisheries and regional economies;












49.


calls for greater consumer awareness by creating a European label to ensure the sustainability of seafood products, along the lines of the CE marking for products such as toys, while respecting certain minimum criteria. In any case, the current FAP labels should comply with the same rules regardless of their origin. Strengthening the European Market Observatory for fisheries and aquaculture (EUMOFA) could be a key element in this regard;












50.


underlines the need to support innovation in the processing and marketing of marine products in order to achieve more efficient production with a lower carbon and water footprint;





Strengthening local and regional participation









51.


points out that, given their knowledge of local marine ecosystems, involving local and regional authorities is vital if the CFP is to be implemented effectively, and views the Fisheries and Oceans Pact as a useful tool for improving it. Regions play a leading role in fisheries and aquaculture management, oversight and surveillance of fishing vessels, marine research and management of aquaculture licences;












52.


considers that coordination between all administrations is key to the implementation of the various policies affecting fisheries and aquaculture activities, such as water use and territorial planning;












53.


recognises the development and implementation of community-led local development strategies as a clear example of the value of regional and local action as a social and economic catalyst in non-urban coastal areas;












54.


puts forward, in this connection, a proposal to review the concept of an ‘area heavily dependent on fisheries’, with the definition based on key aspects in today’s society, such as high-quality food that ensures food sovereignty or high added value in seafood products. The continued social and economic importance of this sector in large areas of the EU calls for preference and positive discrimination measures in line with these criteria.






Brussels, 29 November 2023.


The President of the European Committee of the Regions

Vasco ALVES CORDEIRO
            





(1)  Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1043/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)