Brussels, 14/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's chambers in Strasbourg on Thursday will be the scene of an impassioned debate over the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) when the EP examines the report by Rosa Miguelez Ramos (Spanish Socialist) slamming the European Commission's Green Paper on the future of fishing for distinct lack of ambition. The Fisheries Committee adopted the report by 12 to 6 with 3 abstentions, and lays into the Green Paper for putting forward nothing but "half-measures" to meet the enormous expectations and hopes of the fishing industry. One of the shortcomings they criticise is the lack of an in-depth analysis of the level to which regions of Europe depend on the fishing industry, while in her report, Ms Miguelez Ramos notes concern at the contradiction between the Commission's particularly critical analysis (shared by the EP) and the proposals in the Green Paper which show a distinct lack of initiative.
The report outlines a series of demands with regard to the Green Paper's areas of consideration:
- Resource conservation and management. The rapporteur asks for the Commission to precede any change in the TACs (Total Allowable Catches) of more than 15-20% with a study of the socio-economic impact of the change. She wants TACs and quotas to be multiannual but sufficiently flexible for an annual revision. The Fisheries Committee rejects any proposal for a system of individual quotas or individual quotas that can be transferred EU-wide since this would amount to privatising fish resources and concentrating the industry; wanting a system to be set up to eliminate or at least severely scale back reject fish. The Commission is called upon to adopt rational and sustainable measures to protect juveniles and young fish of over-fished species (restricting fishing in certain zones, temporarily closing fishing zones when they have high concentrations of juveniles, and using selective fishing vessels). Ms Miguelez Ramos is surprised that the Green Paper makes no mention of the damaging impact of industrial fishing (which uses two-thirds of the EU catch to make fish flour and oils). The report explains that the unchecked growth of industrial fishing jeopardises fish equilibrium and leads to a high proportion of juveniles being caught as a result of the fine mesh nets used, as illustrated by the crisis in previously abundant species like cod and hake. The Commission is asked to fully implement the FAO's 1999 action plan on sharks (banning the cutting of shark fins and transporting shark in the EU and protecting vulnerable sharks) and do all in its power to cut the volumes of accessory cetaceans caught in EU waters.
- Fleet. The report notes that the Multiannual Guidance Programmes (MGPs) have not had the expected impact due to lack of political will in some Member States (that have failed to properly implement them). It calls for adaptable and reversible capacity reduction instruments to be prioritised (like cutting fishing times). The rapporteur opposes the Commission's plan to substantially scale back structural aid to the fishing sector, arguing that the aid should be redistributed more fairly. The Commission and Member States are asked to adopt stable criteria for measuring ship capacity and power; fleet segmentation to ensure in-depth and transparent analysis; and for a credible register of EU ships. Any new framework policy for fishing fleets must take into account the degree to which each Member State has achieved the targets set in the previous MGPs and whether management measures (the number of days at sea, for example) have been implemented to avoid Member States that have met the targets from being seriously penalised.
- Inspections and controls. The report notes that despite progress in recent years, the monitoring and control systems do not operate properly as a result of differing levels of human and material resources (generally no more than a rapid check when catches are unloaded) and lack of uniformity among Member States. Ms Miguelez Ramos repeated her desire to see an undiscriminatory harmonised European inspection and control system set up for the entire sector along with a uniform system of sanctions and penalties. She supports the Commission's idea of setting up a common inspection body to co-ordinate Member States' activities and policies.
- International relations. The Commission and Council are asked to deal with problems in bilateral fisheries agreements (no reference to precautionary practice, insufficient attention to the desire of third countries to develop their own fishing industry and the fact that the EU fleet barely abides by or monitors the regulations). The report recommends reviewing the fisheries agreements with Norway and the Faroe Islands since both have seriously restricted the fishing opportunities for the fleets of several Member States and also the application of the agreement in their own waters. The rapporteur wants joint companies to be set up with third countries since such companies have provided to be a useful local fishing development mechanism and have also helped meet EU market demand maintain the EU fleet.
- Trading relations and market policy. Community preferences should be respected and customs duties should be cut as long as this is combined with a list of sensitive products in order to ensure international fisheries policies follow responsible catch policies.
- Social aspects. The Commission is asked to consider high quality employment and health and safety at work as one of the MGPs targets, but emphasising improving the Community regulatory framework for protecting fishermen's working conditions and health and safety at work; reviewing the current rules so that increased volumes allocated with the aim of improving conditions at sea are not used to increase ship capacity; and a compulsory annual inspection of all shipping vessels to ensure that the compulsory safety equipment exists and is in good working order.
- Fish processing industry. Customs duties should be reduced or scrapped in order to facilitate access to raw materials.
- Fish farming. The report argues that fish farming is part of the CFP that requires particular attention given its increasing contribution to employment and meeting EU demand for fish. It recognises the role of fish farming, but points out the negative impact on the environment due to the use of chemicals and antibiotics and genetically modified sweet water varieties; the disruption of marine ecosystems by industrial fishing and how will fish and escaped or released farmed fish interact.
- The Mediterranean. Ms Miguelez Ramos argues that new guidelines are required for managing Mediterranean fish resources, based on incorporating the Mediterranean in the new MGP by harmonising technical measures for all operators and ensuring better scientific understanding of the existing species, how they are distributed and their behaviour; implementing a management system by means of controls of fishing specially adapted to the type of fishing that occurs in the Mediterranean (multi-species rather than concentrating on a single species of fish); and stepping up international co-operation in order to achieve integrated management of the entire Mediterranean area by eliminating clandestine fishing that infringes resource management criteria.
European Parliament plenary session (14-17 January 2002)
