07/07/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 7 July, the European Parliament stressed that offshore wind farms should, “whenever possible, be placed in zones where fishing is not permitted in order to minimise negative impacts on the fishing industry”. The European Parliament adopted (by 512 votes to 21 with 159 abstentions) the report by Peter van Dalen (EPP, The Netherlands) on the effects of offshore wind farms and other renewable energy systems on the fisheries sector (see EUROPE 12756/10). The European Parliament also proposes to assess the combination and integration of offshore wind farms within marine protected areas against clearly defined habitat and biodiversity conservation objectives. (LC)