Debate: Article  of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation
Date: MONDAY, 6 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Stella Kyriakides
Language: EN

As you will know, Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation empowers Member States to allocate national fishing opportunities. This means that Member States have the right to establish their own criteria to suit the specific needs of their fishing sectors. The criteria, including those of an environmental, social and economic nature, must be transparent and objective. They may include, among others, the impact of fishing on the environment, the history of compliance, the contribution to the local economy and historic catch levels. According to the same Article 17, within the fishing opportunities allocated to them, Member States must endeavour to provide incentives to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact. This leaves Member States a large discretion as regards the criteria they apply and the weight they give to them. In 2019, the Commission carried out the study on the ownership and exclusive rights of fisheries means of production. This study suggested the need for greater transparency across the Member States regarding the ultimate beneficiaries and their allocation of quotas. The study also stressed the need for greater understanding of the processes and involved actors. This better understanding would then allow to know whether any further steps are required. Transparency is indeed crucial and therefore the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, has been proactive in seeking to ensure the correct application of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation. We requested Member States, in 2020, to provide information on their allocation methods of fishing opportunities. All the information received from Member States until now has been used by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries in its 2020 report on the social dimension of the common fisheries policy. Once the additional outstanding information from Member States will be available, this report will be updated and we will use this information for the upcoming Commission report on the functioning of the common fisheries policy. Overall, I can say that the Commission welcomes Ms Roose’s report on the implementation of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation, as it provides a basis for a constructive dialogue with Member States on the use of transparent and objective criteria, including environmental, social and economic criteria for allocating the fishing opportunities. Moreover, the Commission wishes to achieve a better common understanding on the application of Article 17 amongst all Member States, clarifying outstanding discrepancies. The Commission will continue to facilitate the exchange of good practices amongst Member States regarding the successful use of social and environmental criteria in particular. This report by rapporteur Roose, along with the report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries on the social dimension, comes timely ahead of the preparation of the 2022 Commission report on the functioning of the common fisheries policy. Therefore I would like to thank the rapporteur and all the shadow rapporteurs again for this very important piece of work.