Brussels, 17/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - Using the fisheries agreement with Mauritania as a good example of transparency, adopting regulatory frameworks for joint ventures and imposing stricter rules on products placed in the EU market and on vessels which do not meet specific requirements were some of the main issues raised by the European Parliament fisheries committee in adopting, by 22 votes to 2, the report by Linnéa Engström (Greens/EFA, Sweden) on the external dimension of the common fisheries policy (CFP) in Brussels on Wednesday 17 February.
The fisheries agreement with Mauritania has become a role model in transparency. Mauritania has promised to publish all other fisheries arrangements it has with any third country. “We would also need information about the total catches of all fleets and the conditions under which they all operate”, said the rapporteur. In her view, all future EU fisheries agreements should have this kind of transparency requirements.
Barring products that do not meet requirements. Bilateral and multilateral trade agreements negotiated by the EU should promote environmentally sustainable and socially just conditions for the production of fisheries products in the third countries concerned, through the use of appropriate quantitative and qualitative restrictions on access to the EU market, say MEPs. These conditions should be a requirement for placing any fish or fishery-derived product on the European market. “Any fish product or fishing-derived product not guaranteed to comply with these conditions or consumer protection requirements should be barred from the European market”, states the fisheries committee.
Penalties. Vessels fishing under the provisions of a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) which do not fulfil their obligations, such as providing their member state with the data required should be subject to the penalties provided for in the control and illegal unreported unregulated (IUU) fishing regulations including, where appropriate, denial of a fishing authorisation, argue MEPs.
EU database. The members of the fisheries committee ask the Commission to set up a database covering all private agreements between or on behalf of EU ship-owners or local and regional bodies and authorities and third countries that involve access to third-country fisheries (including conditions for access, allowable fleet capacity, the identity of the vessels and the resulting fishing activities). This database should be in the public domain, with the exception of those parts which contain commercially sensitive information. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)