Debate: Fisheries control
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Johannes Hahn
Language: EN

I mean, I have not participated, but I speak here also on behalf of Mr Sinkevičius as this reform will contribute to a modern and digitalised EU fishing fleet, to a better fight against illegal fishing and to a better protection of our marine resources. As you know, the Commission would have preferred an even more ambitious reform, but we believe that we have achieved together a new fisheries control system, which is indeed fit for the challenges of today and the years to come. Fishers will be the first to benefit from a more equal and fairer control system, with a harmonised system of sanctions and infringement categories. This harmonisation will also allow fishers to have a more equal access to financing under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. A major achievement is the risk-based introduction of remote electronic monitoring and cameras on board, as this will finally put an end to illegal discards of fish, and will be an incentive for selective fishing methods in line with the objectives of the EU common fisheries policy. We will finally get rid of paper-based reporting and thereby enable a gradual transition to the full digitalisation of the fishing sector. Let me underline that this digitalisation will largely contribute to reduce the administrative burden for both our fishers and the authorities. In parallel to this reform, the Commission is fully committed to promote a level playing field for EU fishers internationally, both at bilateral and, of course, multilateral level. The worldwide fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing will continue to be a priority for us. Despite the already stretched resources of the Commission, the new Fisheries Control Regulation will substantially increase the burden on the Commission, for instance, through new reporting and assessment requirements. Nevertheless, the Commission will do its utmost to adopt the necessary secondary legislation and to develop the required IT tools in a timely fashion to ensure a swift and seamless implementation of the new rules. But may I, with the hat of the Budget and HR Commissioner, also ask the respective Members of the Fisheries Committee to support us in our MFF negotiations, in particular when it comes to Heading 7, where we are facing substantial staff problems. It is also true that in the past couple of years, we have adopted a number of laws and regulations, which are also linked to additional staffing requirements, and this is not yet reflected in how our staff is indeed equipped to deal with all these new challenges and tasks, which we all consider important. So finally, let me thank you again for all your efforts and the strong political leadership and, may I say, apparently resilience through the negotiations to come to a successful end. I think this is something we should really celebrate together. I think at the end of the day, thank you to the rapporteur, to the shadow rapporteurs, to all the Members of Parliament and the Parliament staff who have put a lot of engagement, enthusiasm, but also heart and soul into this negotiation to reach this long-awaited result.