Brussels, 01/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Thursday 15 February, the European Parliament will be very keen to give a new boost to fighting illegal fishing activities in the EU and third countries. The draft report by Marie-Hélène Aubert (Greens/EFA, France) on this dossier, adopted unanimously on 25 January by members of the parliamentary committee on fisheries, calls on member states to catch up on their efforts to implement the 2002 action plan (dissuade European citizens and companies from resorting to illegal fishing, outlaw pirate fishing from the seas, publish the list of offending boats and operators, raise public awareness about the scale of the problem). It also calls on the European Commission to demonstrate a high level of ambition in the legislative proposal and communication it is expected to publish in July 2007 (EUROPE 9350 on the consultation to achieve this goal). In addition the EP is also expected to express the view that the new maritime policy, which the EU is currently seeking to provide, could help to make the fight against this phenomenon more effective. The rapporteur is particularly supportive, in this context, of the idea to set up a European coastguard. The EP will be discussing this theme on Wednesday 14 February, before the vote on the report during the plenary programmed for following day.
The European Parliament knows all too well that it is very difficult to assess the scale of illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing activities. According to recent data by the Marine Resources Assessment Group, these illegal activities worldwide are worth $2.4bn to those carrying them out. Most of these activities are carried out in the waters of developing countries too poor to sufficiently monitor their territorial waters. This activity is also a heavy blow to operators that respect the law. 30% of world fish stocks are over-exploited due to illegal fishing.
The EP's fisheries committee “welcomes the progress accomplished” at an international level and by the EU in the fight against illegal, non-declared and non-registered fishing, “but considers that the phenomenon is continually increasing and, consequently, further efforts must be pursued”. It is calling on the Commission to help developing countries prevent illegal fishing, by including specific actions in the new partnership actions. The report highlights the EP's conviction that eco-labelling schemes would improve traceability of the fish “from the net to the plate”.
Action plan 2002: the rapporteur is calling on the Commission and member states to “redouble” their efforts to implement the EU's action plan for eradicating these practices: guarantee equal treatment of economic agents and dissuade those within the Community from using flags of convenience; provide Europe with the legal means to ban the fish trade based on illegal fishing; raise public awareness about the scale and seriousness of illegal fishing; encourage implementation of detailed control and inspection plans for each of the Regional Fishing Organisations (RFO) in the EU; work toward RFO cover of all major kinds of fishing in the sea worldwide (demersal species, small pelagic species and highly migratory species); participate actively in establishing and revising RFO lists of boats breaching conservation measures and encouraging application of trade sanctions against countries flying the flag of countries where these boats are registered; ensure that the fish admitted to the EU market is not illegal; strengthen international cooperation measures for creating, under the auspices of the FAO, an international information system on fishing boats on the high seas.
New initiatives: the EP fisheries committee “notes with satisfaction”, the Commission's intention to adopt (in July) a communication and draft regulation incorporating the following actions in its proposal: simple identification of fishing boats and boats transporting EU fish flying third country flags that want to dock in European ports; establishment of Community register of boats that fish illegally; adoption of common minimum sanctions for serious infringements applicable in all member states; taking measures to enable total traceability of fish; publishing RFO black lists of fishing boat and fish transporting fish (all non-Community boats on these lists will be denied entry into Community ports); provision of proof of the legal origin of fish caught before it can be offloaded or imported into the EU; concerted effort to ensure pirate boats are not given authorisation for exporting fish or fish products to the EU.
The Commission is also invited to present a study on respect for Community provisions on work, health and safety, respect of social rights of crews on these boats, as well as on their living and working conditions while on board. (lc)