On Thursday 14 September, the European Parliament adopted its mandate for negotiations with the Council on a compromise text on the multiannual management plan for demersal species (such as cod and haddock) in the North Sea.
The mandate was adopted by 378 votes to 232, with 19 abstentions. MEPs also passed amendments to the report by Ulrike Rodust (S&D, Germany). The Parliamentary fisheries committee did not grant a mandate when the report was adopted (see EUROPE 11828).
The amendments relate to: - setting the ranges (minimum-maximum) within which the Council can set the yearly total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas; - management of stocks in line with the principle of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2020 at the latest for all stocks covered by the regulation; - basing all measures on the best available scientific advice as reviewed by the International Council of Exploration of the Sea (ICES) or the Scientific, Technical & Economic Committee for Fisheries (STEFC); - suspending the targeted fishery for one particular stock and reducing fishing opportunities when scientific advice indicates a stock is in danger; - also taking recreational fisheries into account. MEPs want an evaluation of the plan by the Commission three years after its entry into force, rather than every five years as proposed by the European Commission.
Agreements with third countries. MEPs added a new article to the plan to ensure that “the stocks managed jointly with third countries and the total fishing opportunities would not exceed the ranges set in the plan” and that “future bilateral agreements with third countries would take account of the (recovery) plan”. These provisions have been made with the prospect of the United Kingdom’s leaving the EU in mind.
The NGO Oceana welcomed the vote to introduce a genuinely ambitious management plan “to effectively put an end to overfishing in the region”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)