Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-01-16-Speech-2-286"
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"en.20010116.12.2-286"2
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". – Mr President, Commissioner, at the outset I want to acknowledge the assistance which I received from the secretariat of the Committee on Fisheries and indeed from the secretariat of my own group in preparing this report. I want to thank Mr Poignant for his cooperation while producing my report.
I want to see the Commission review the application of relative stability so as to take better account of the need for economic, social and regional cohesion. There is no doubt in my mind that this must be done without calling into question the fundamental principle itself. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Mr Varela Suanzes-Carpegna on his report. The fact that there are no amendments tabled is a clear indication that we can all agree on this text. I am pleased to say that all the ideas contained in my opinion on behalf of the Committee on Industry have been included in the report in one form or another. Mr Varela Suanzes-Carpegna has outlined to us in detail the importance of the multi-functional role of the EU fisheries. This is something that must be taken into account in future WTO negotiations to ensure that EU producers are not put at a disadvantage. The Commission must come up with appropriate negotiation proposals. Unlike what was done in relation to agriculture, I would invite Mr Fischler to consult this House on the fisheries proposals.
In conclusion, I am pleased that Mr Varela Suanzes-Carpegna has recognised the need to take into account social and economic factors, such as employment in coastal areas. This must be taken into consideration in the WTO talks and the review of the common fisheries policy, and I welcome the reference to an environmental and health food standard in Mr Varela Suanzes-Carpegna's report. I also want to congratulate my colleague Mr Cunha on his report.
Both myself and Mr Poignant had one major preoccupation – to make sure that our reports were not only complementary, but more importantly that they were not contradictory. After all they deal with the same subject, and I would like to think that the same spirit will prevail in the House when both reports are voted on tomorrow.
Under the regulation establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture, the Commission is obliged to report at least every three years to Parliament, the Council and the Community bodies representing the sector on the implementation of measures and developments in the common fisheries policy. This report reviews the years 1996 to 1998. The timing of the present communication gives it a special significance in that it represents a bridge to the Green Paper to be published on the review of the common fisheries policy. Not only is this is an historical snapshot of the past, it is an important indication of the direction of Commission thinking about the future and shape of the CFP after 2002. This, of course, is to be welcomed.
The report covers all aspects of the CFP, including conservation and management of resources, structural policy, external fisheries policy, market policy and monitoring and control.
In the conclusions to its communication the Commission lists among its priorities: better coherence between the various objectives pursued by the CFP, such as conservation of resources, the economic efficiency of the fleet and securing employment in fisheries – dependent areas, taking account of the economic dimension of fisheries management, better integration of environmental and fisheries policy, improvement of management tools such as multi-annual management objectives and strategies, management of fishing effort, and full integration of the Mediterranean into the Community management regime, a more accountable decision-making process and maintaining the external dimension of the common fisheries policy.
Many of these points can be endorsed by us, indeed as the Commission acknowledges, a number of these priorities are those which Parliament itself set and has long demanded. I would like to underline to you, as I have done in my report, a number of points that I feel strongly about. I regret the present unsatisfactory state of fish stocks in relation to technical conservation measures. I believe that more progress can still be made. In spite of initiatives taken by the Commission to strengthen its dialogue with the industry, I believe that these should be fully reinforced. I believe that fishermen must be more involved in the work of scientists in order to establish mutual confidence. I have strong suspicions that multi-annual programmes have operated in a discriminatory fashion without producing any major benefits to the fishing sector as a whole.
I would like to see a uniform inspection regime throughout the Community and the harmonisation of penalties for infringements. I want a strict enforcement of the Community control system with regard to third country vessels operating within EU waters. I am strongly in favour of a greater regionalisation of the common fisheries policy through the creation of a comprehensive series of regional management units and regional advisory committees based on the use of ICES areas and sub-areas to define the boundary lines. In this context, I want to stress that regionalisation of fisheries policy is not in any way the same as renationalisation or fisheries policy. It does, however, to use the Commission's own words, involve the participation of stakeholders, and I quote "in all the three phases of the management process i.e. consultation, decision-taking and implementation of decisions taken".
I believe that the lack of cohesion in the regional application of the CFP must inevitably lead to a lack of confidence in the policy and in the Community institutions. I believe that it is necessary to define the application of the CFP in a clear and consistent manner, setting out a coherent system of regionalisation. I am convinced that this must entail such factors as closer links between fishermen, scientists, the recognition of the socio-economic factors in areas highly dependent on fisheries, flexibility and simplification. As I have done on so many occasions in the past, I repeat my call that in order to ensure an appropriate policy of decentralisation it is essential to maintain access to the territorial waters of 12 miles as the exclusive sovereign preserve of the coastal States and to extend this preserve to 24 miles, as previously agreed by this House in February 1999.
On a personal note I would point out that these last two issues are fundamental to my own country, Ireland. I believe that the utmost respect must be paid to the need for social, economic, regional cohesion, and that the highest priority must be given to the defence of the populations of regions highly dependent on fisheries."@en1
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