Strasbourg, 16/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 15 February, the European Parliament called for new measures to be taken by the EU to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It recommends that there should be total traceability of fishing products, that all non-EU vessels on blacklists of fishing vessels and fish transport vessels be banned from entering Community ports, and that the legal origin of fish must be demonstrated before it is offloaded in EU ports or imported onto the EU market. The own-initiative report on this dossier by Marie-Hélène Aubert (Greens/EFA, France) was adopted without amendment compared to the vote in the parliamentary committee (see EUROPE 9357 on the detail of the report adopted in the parliamentary committee).
The EP also takes the view that the ideas, set out in the European Commission's Green Paper on the setting in place of a maritime policy for the EU, could contribute to a more organised campaign against the phenomenon of illegal fishing. MEPs call on the Commission to envisage the establishment of a European coastguard, as suggested in the Green Paper, and are confident the new Community Fisheries Control Agency in Vigo (Spain) “will play an important role in the fight against IUU fishing”.
During the debate the previous day, Rapporteur Marie-Hélène Aubert recalled that illegal fishing is a fast-growing phenomenon that can seriously damage the livelihood not only of European fisheries but also of local fishing communities, as well as the fishing industry in developing countries, especially those which have sealed bilateral fishing agreements with the EU. She stressed, moreover, that “alas”, fishing was a very lucrative business, and gave the example of blue-fin tuna in the Mediterranean in particular, for which prices can hit “staggering” heights. The MEP went on to say that this leads to a vicious circle, which in turn leads to the progressive but accelerated decline of fish stocks. Furthermore, fleets that comply with the regulations find themselves severely penalised compared to those carrying out illegal fishing activity. Illegal fishing can take various forms: - pirate fishing, the use of unauthorised fishing gear, catches of species that are not authorised, unlicensed fishing or the transhipment of cargoes from one boat to another while at sea.
Ms Aubert stated that the Commission is currently carrying out an assessment of member state action plans (2002) on the fight against illegal fishing. This is with a view to the meeting in early March in Rome of the FAO Fisheries Committee, that is expected to seek to relaunch the international action plan against illegal fishing. After listing the flagship measures of the report, Ms Aubert stressed it was necessary for action to be conducted under European and international law. She went on to explain that there are today legal loopholes allowing illegal fishing vessels to slip through the net without question or penalty. She advocated a more integrated European policy, not only in terms of control and monitoring, but also in terms of sanctions.
Speaking on behalf of the Commission, Economic Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia welcomed the content of the report which above all examines ways to prevent illegal fishing products entering the EU from third countries. He said that, as the leading import market for fishing products in the world, the EU must ensure products arriving on the consumers' table do not come from illegal fishing activity. Action must therefore be taken to better control the legality of imported fishing products into EU territory. He also noted how urgent it was to create more “synergies” between the various services (Community and international) responsible for monitoring fishing activity; and spoke of the advantages of greater consistency in sanctions imposed by member states in the event of serious breach of Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provisions. All these elements appear in Ms Aubert's report, demonstrating that the Parliament and Commission are “on the same wavelength” when it comes to defining future priorities, the commissioner was pleased to state. He confirmed that the Commission planned to adopt a proposal within the next few months with a view to strengthening controls on illegal fishing. This proposal will be presented to member states and to the EP “during the second half of 2007”. (lc)