The European Parliament’s rapporteur on the revision of the fisheries control system, Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spain), is proposing that the installation of cameras or other devices to monitor (fish) discards should be compulsory only for vessels with a high risk of non-compliance with the landing obligation.
This is a change of position compared to the work under the previous parliamentary term. Indeed, a majority of MEPs on Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries at the time opposed the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to monitor Member States’ compliance with the landing obligation rule proposed by the European Commission.
Mrs Aguilera proposes to “complete and amend the proposal” in order to achieve the necessary harmonisation of the Union’s fisheries control and inspection system without creating a sense of unfairness between fishermen from different Member States. She has tabled more than 90 amendments.
The rapporteur proposes, inter alia: - in order to achieve genuine harmonisation and effective data collection, the declaration for recreational fisheries catches must be single and uniform for all Member States, as well as being simple and free of charge; - new traceability criteria to enable the competent authorities to trace the origin of the products back to the vessel that made the catches and, as accurately as possible, to the area where the catches were made; - in order to harmonise controls in the EU, all Member States should use a common form for inspection reports containing the same basic information on the controls carried out; - strengthen the role of the European Fisheries Control Agency (it should centralise Member States’ databases of vessel inspection reports); - in order to avoid injustices and differences in treatment across the Union, the Commission could assist Member States in determining the seriousness of infringements and in ensuring a uniform interpretation of the applicable penalties; - safeguard measures in agreements with non-Member States (suspending tariff preferences in the event of illegal fishing).
The draft report will be discussed on 16 or 17 March in the Committee on Fisheries. The deadline for tabling of amendments is 25 March. The committee vote is expected to take place in July, with a view to a plenary vote in September. The EU Council hopes to adopt its position next June.
Parliament had started work on the report by Isabelle Thomas (S&D, France). After 851 amendments had been tabled, lengthy debates took place in order to reach compromise agreements. However, the previous legislature of Parliament ended on 18 April 2019 without agreement on this sensitive issue.
Link to the draft report: https://bit.ly/2IdXDpW (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)