On Thursday 18 December, the European Parliament called for a mid-term review of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and a targeted revision of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to meet the need to modernise the fishing fleet.
The European Parliament’s aim is to “take account of the design and space requirements for the storage of alternative fuels, energy and propulsion systems, and to make the framework for State aid for the construction and modernisation of fishing vessels more flexible”.
In adopting (450 votes in favour, 93 against and 37 abstentions) the own-initiative report by Ton Diepeveen (PfE, Dutch) on the challenges of decarbonisation, Parliament called for the creation of a “specific emergency fund” to speed up fleet renewal, enabling a realistic transition to clean energy technologies.
The seven amendments (https://aeur.eu/f/k38 ) tabled by MEPs, including the rapporteur, were rejected in plenary. One of them called into question the EMFAF eligibility criteria, including the 24-metre length threshold and the 40-year age limit for vessels.
The European Parliament proposes to stimulate ship renewal programmes in cooperation with private stakeholders, with the support of national and European funding, in order to “facilitate the replacement of the fleet with more modern, safer and more environmentally friendly vessels”. It regrets that the current framework of the CFP and the EMFAF severely restricts the possibilities for public aid, discourages private financing and blocks the developments needed to decarbonise the fleet. The European Parliament is also critical of the fact that current financial incentives are insufficient to meet the needs of the sector.
The European Commission is invited to support innovation by investing in “increasing the selectivity of fishing gear, improving port infrastructures and modernising fishing vessels” in order to improve health, safety and working conditions, increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions and improve the quality of catches.
“With an average age of 30 years, the facts are clear: modernising our fishing fleet has become a strategic priority”, said Isabelle Le Callennec (EPP, French).
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/k2t (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)