Presenting its ideas on the European Ocean Pact, the EPP Group in the European Parliament called on the European Commission and Member States on Wednesday 21 May to increase the competitiveness and modernisation of the fishing fleet (see EUROPE 13639/23).
To this end, the EPP Group recommends reviewing the concept of the EU fishing capacity ceiling, based on indicators such as kilowatts (kW) and gross tonnage (GT), in order to adapt it to new technologies and requirements in terms of safety, decarbonisation or working conditions (notion of ‘social tonnage’).
The Commission is invited to remove the regulatory obstacles and financial limits of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to decarbonise and renew the fleet and reduce administrative burdens.
With regard to small-scale fishing, the EPP believes that the European Ocean Pact should “recognise specifically” this activity and promote multi-annual management and a fair distribution of quotas.
The EPP recommends a “fleet renewal plan” to improve the sector’s performance, image and attractiveness.
Protected areas. The EPP Group supports the statements by the Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, on a case-by-case approach (based on science, with impact assessments) for conservation and management measures in marine protected areas. The EPP insists that these measures be developed in cooperation with stakeholders, in particular fishers, to avoid “disproportionate regulations” that could seriously affect local sectors.
Trade. The EPP group in the European Parliament is calling for the inclusion of “oceanic reciprocity” clauses or ‘mirror measures’ on seafood products in trade agreements with third countries, “ensuring that imported products comply with the same standards of sustainability, food safety, and environmental protection as European products”. Sustainability criteria are also being called for in the case of autonomous tariff quotas (products imported into the EU).
The EPP also proposes: - the creation of a ‘European Ocean Observatory’ and a ‘European Deep-Sea Observatory’; - the introduction of a Common Aquaculture Policy on the same footing as the CFP.
Link to the EPP document: https://aeur.eu/f/h00 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)