Brussels, 19/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - Experts and MEPs alike at the public hearing on Wednesday 17 February stressed the need for greater harmonisation in the monitoring of fishing activities.
The European Parliament's fisheries committee organised the public hearing on harmonising fisheries controls in Europe with a view to the likely revision of the 2009 regulation on the community fisheries control system. The Commission is due, in 2016, to bring forward a report on the implementation of the 2009 regulation.
The purpose of the hearing was to compare national practices in the various member states and to identify differences in the ways the rules are applied, said fisheries committee chair Alain Cadec (EPP, France). In his view, revision of the control regulation should not lead to repatriation since dismantling control would amount to dismantling the common fisheries policy. He called on countries to tap into EU funding that is set aside for control and stressed the need for harmonisation of penalties. He highlighted differences between member states in how the new points system works.
Isabelle Thomas (S&D, France), who is preparing an own initiative report on this issue, said that harmonisation was the golden rule if fishermen were to have confidence in the control system. A great deal of work needs to be done but it is essential, she said. Training, procedures, penalties and legal systems all have to be harmonised.
Pascal Savouret, director of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), presented the results of the joint deployment plans (established by the agency following discussion with the member states). He spoke of the agency's work in training inspectors. Harmonisation of inspections is important, he stressed. Hanns-Christoph Eiden, president of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Germany, argued that control rules should be harmonised across the EU: regionalisation is important, he said, but it had its limits.
Hector Villa Gonzalez, deputy-director general for Control and Inspection, Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment, Spain, suggested that the last few years had seen an improvement in compliance with the rules. “Our fishermen are abiding more closely with the provisions of the control regulation”, he said. He advised that regionalisation be used for the smallest vessels (notably on the 10% tolerance limit). He said he hoped that the computer-based instruments planned by the Commission support harmonisation and common application in all countries of the EU.
Philippe de Lambert des Granges, deputy-director for Fisheries Resources, Directorate for Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, France, welcomed the increased level of cooperation on control in the Bluefin tuna fishery. For the future, he placed great store on the principle of regionalisation, suggesting that this would offer a degree of adaptability to the rules (specific technical measures and control measures) to suit specific situations. He said, too, that when the control regulation is being revised, account must be taken of what is being done on the revision of technical measures. As a result, for instance, of the rule that all catches have to be landed, controls have become more burdensome, he said.
Vincenzo Melone, commander general of the Ports Authority, Italy, showed a film on operations to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. He then spoke about control operations to prevent fisheries fraud and confiscation of drift nets.
Susan Steele, chair of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, Ireland, stressed the complexity of procedures and of control work, since the tool box available is limited. She felt that there should be no hesitation in “pruning” where the rules are not up to the job.
The fisheries market needs to be a single market, argued MEP Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain) who spoke of improvement in the coordination and harmonisation of controls. “Good data transmission must be ensured”, he advised. He stressed the need for account to be taken of regional differences.
Ulrike Rodust (S&D, Germany) spoke of submission of data to the fisheries control agency (based in Vigo), staffing required to carry out the controls, cameras on board vessels and the time it would take to achieve harmonisation of controls. “Mistrust is everywhere”, largely because of the different treatment in the area of control, stated Liadh Ni Riada (GUE/NGL, Ireland). She condemned failings in the monitoring of factory ships.
Francisco José Millan Mon (EPP, Spain) called for harmonisation and coordination to make sure that a product that has been turned away from one country does not make its way to another. Renata Briana (S&D, Italy) argued for harmonisation so that there would be a minimum threshold and a consistent data set. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)