On Monday 10 May, the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries amended the European Commission’s proposal on the Brexit adjustment reserve, adopting (18 votes in favour, 7 against and 3 abstentions) the opinion of François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP, France) on this dossier (see EUROPE 12705/10, EUROPE 12696/3).
The opinion of the Committee on Fisheries will be sent to the European Parliament Committee on Regional Development, which is responsible for the dossier (see other news).
The European Parliament Committee on Fisheries adopted a series of compromise amendments, including clarifying the allocation key for the funds in this reserve (the fisheries factor is determined “on the basis of the share of each Member State of the total value of the fishery products caught in the UK EEZ [and] the decrease in the fishing activity in waters outside the United Kingdom affected by the cut in fishing opportunities provided for in the [Trade and Cooperation Agreement]”).
One of the compromise amendments provides that the eligibility period for the implementation of these measures should start on 1 July 2020 and last until 31 December 2022 for all sectors, except for fisheries, “for which the eligibility period should be extended to 30 June 2026, by which date the 25% cut in the value of the products caught by EU fleets, as provided for in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, will have taken full effect”.
According to another compromise amendment, the European Commission will have to make an assessment, by 30 September 2023 at the latest, of whether the (Brexit adjustment) reserve budget should be increased “by an amount equivalent to the level of funds from the EMFF that were not implemented following compliance with the ‘n+3’ rule”.
Finally, a clear legal regime is requested to ensure that support allocated via the Brexit adjustment reserve does not conflict with the State aid regime.
The rapporteur, Mr Bellamy, stressed that “We’ve worked to have a clear, fair, and efficient key to allocate funding to all fishermen heavily impacted by Brexit. We’ve also extended the eligibility period so that this support will be available until June 2026, when the need will be highest”.
France will not compromise. The decisions taken by London on the fishing conditions imposed on French sailors after Brexit are “null and void”, and France continues to oppose them “vigorously”, the French Minister for Foreign Trade, Franck Riester, told Sud Radio on 7 May. Access to British waters for European fishermen continues to cause friction, despite the agreement reached between the EU and the UK, which came into force on 1 January (see EUROPE 12714/8). According to Paris, the UK published last week a list of 41 French vessels, out of 344 applications, authorised to fish in Jersey waters, but this was accompanied by new requirements “which were not agreed, discussed, or notified beforehand” under the agreement. “These licences have been granted in far too small a number, with conditions that have not been explained”, which is in contradiction with what is stated in the cooperation agreement, Mr Riester said.
In a joint letter to the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, the presidents of the regions of Brittany and Normandy call for EU assistance on this issue. “Already hard hit by the health crisis, the fisheries sector needs to feel that the EU is there to protect it. We are therefore counting on you to ensure that the agreements signed are fully respected so that all parties can benefit from equitable and non-discriminatory access to fisheries resources”, the letter states. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)