The fishing rights of the EU fleet must be better protected after Brexit, said MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries on Thursday 3 March.
The committee unanimously adopted (27 votes in favour) the draft report by Manuel Pizarro (S&D, Italy) on the future of fisheries in the English Channel, the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The plenary vote will take place in April.
MEPs deplore the fact that the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement will result in a gradual 25% reduction in the EU fleet’s share of fishing opportunities in UK waters over five and a half years. They are concerned about the UK’s protectionist measures, which limit fishing licences for EU vessels in the Crown Dependencies, and urge the UK to refrain from any controversial action. MEPs want the European Commission to consider all options to ensure that the rights of EU vessels are respected, including limiting UK access to EU ports or restricting the import of fisheries products.
The draft report states that Brexit has destabilised relations between North Atlantic coastal states, leading Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands to take unilateral decisions that have a negative impact on the EU’s fish stocks and fishing fleet, such as the EU losing Svalbard’s cod quota.
Another request is that Members of Parliament be invited as observers when the Specialised Committee on Fisheries (provided for in the trade agreement) meets. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)