Brussels, 16/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - During their evening sitting in Strasbourg on Monday 15 April, MEPs called for sanctions to be imposed on Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the context of the dispute over mackerel fishing in the North-East Atlantic. This fishing “war” began in 2009 when the two countries unilaterally and exponentially increased their mackerel quotas. Antolin Sanchez Presedo (S&D, Spain) and Alain Cadec (EPP, France), in particular, stated that the Faroe Islands had increased their quota fivefold between 2009 and 2012, and that Iceland had multiplied its 2006 quota by 23. MEPs are, therefore, voicing concern about the sustainability of mackerel stocks.
The 2012 regulation on non-sustainable fishing allows sanctions to be imposed on states that do not cooperate in the management of a stock held in common and do not apply sustainable management measures. It allows fish imports to be restricted, and all MEPs called on the Commission to activate this mechanism.
Option of trade sanctions is tabled.
“Trade sanctions” must be taken against those countries, said Pat the Cope Gallagher (ALDE, Ireland), who floated the question.
“We are following the situation very carefully. We are trying, through many channels, to put pressure on the Icelandic and Faroese governments to change their policy”, Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said. While conceding that this could take time, she trusts it will be possible to “come back to negotiations with all coastal governments and reach real agreement on this topic”. In the meantime, the “option of trade sanctions is, of course, on the table”, the commissioner said. She went on to point out that it was necessary to “carefully consider two very important factors. Firstly, we have to consider carefully what the legal conditions are that we have to meet. Secondly, we have to think carefully about the timing of our actions”. Regarding mackerel, the Commission is discussing the possible options with the countries of the EU. Next week, Damanaki will be meeting the Norwegian minister in Brussels, when she hopes they will be able to come to a common decision. The Commission has already examined the procedural aspects with the aim of accelerating the decision-making process “if and when we go forward”.
On Atlanto Scandian herring - the Faroe Islands having left the negotiating table to unilaterally decide on 26 March this year that they would triple their quota - the situation is very clear. Damanaki has, in fact, given her agreement to launch an internal Commission procedure that is expected to result in trade sanctions being taken against the Faroe Islands, in the context of the Atlanto Scandian herring affair.
Jaroslaw Leszek Walesa (EPP, Poland) denounced the “irresponsible” behaviour of the countries concerned.
Speaking on behalf of the S&D Group, Isabelle Thomas (France) said that, as soon as the biomass for that species began to climb, there was a headlong rush into mackerel fishing by Icelandic and Faroese fishermen. She believes it did not take long before the ecological impact on biomass was felt and European quotas lowered, so that the economic situation of EU fishermen today is compromised. It is no longer a matter of closely monitoring the situation, she said, nor of simply communicating. She went on to call for sanctions to be imposed on behaviour of this kind that she believes is irresponsible at both ecological and economic levels. She suggests including the states concerned on the list of those that fail to respect sustainable fishing and even to bring into question the fishing agreements reached with those players.
Alain Cadec (EPP, France) asked what they were waiting for before adopting sanctions. He believes sanctions would certainly make Iceland and the Faroe Islands see reason. He even suggested that Iceland will not bring European Union membership any closer by persevering in this provocative attitude. (LC/transl.jl)