A lively debate took place on Thursday 29 September in the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries on the follow-up to the regulation banning fishing in 87 deep water areas of the continental shelf (see EUROPE 13029/4).
The European Parliament is expected to debate deep-sea fishing during the 17-20 October plenary and not as early as next week in session as requested by the EPP group.
Under ‘miscellaneous’ at the Committee on Fisheries meeting, Nicolás González Casares (S&D, Spanish) criticised the regulation in question, which would result in an “economic and social disaster” for the fishermen concerned. He regretted that the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, “rejects the sector’s proposals” to suspend the implementation of the text and to take account of the latest scientific data.
Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spanish) criticised the S&D, Greens/EFA and Renew Europe groups for not supporting his call for a debate in plenary next week. “It will be too late” for the second plenary session in October, he regretted, referring to the entry into force of the regulation.
Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portuguese) replied that the choice had been made for the second October session, as the Commissioner could not, for medical reasons, attend the debate in Strasbourg next week.
“We would like to debate with the commissioner in person”, Casares added.
Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA, French) defended the text adopted by the European Commission.
Pierre Karleskind (Renew Europe, French), Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries, confirmed that the European Parliament Conference of Presidents had decided to schedule the debate in plenary during the second October session. The Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries will again discuss deep sea fishing on 10 October. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)