Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-04-Speech-3-230"
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"en.20080604.25.3-230"2
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"Madam President, the events unfolding this very day in Brussels show us to what extent the future of European fisheries is under threat if the European Union is incapable of implementing the sustainable management of fish stocks and root-and-branch reform of its existing policies. The fight against IUU fishing is a major element of this more demanding and coherent policy. However, the globalisation of trade, the free movement of capital, and advances in transport and communication have all led to a significant increase in illegal fishing over recent years.
Today the situation is no longer tenable. European fishermen, like all stakeholders, including NGOs, are unanimously calling for this phenomenon – which hastens the destruction of resources and results in unfair competition for those who play by the rules – to be tackled more effectively. However, that is not to say that Member States have not been able to monitor and sanction illegal practices, as they should have done. In this respect, the report of the Court of Auditors published a few months ago is damning.
This is why the European Commission’s ambitious proposal announced last October was particularly well received by the Committee on Fisheries, which had already adopted, by an overwhelming majority, an own-initiative report on the EU’s February 2007 action plan to combat IUU fishing. In fact, we are delighted that the Commission’s legislative proposal incorporates most of our recommendations. These include the publication of an IUU vessels list; reinforced port state controls; compulsory catch certificates for the flag state and therefore the refusal to import fisheries products obtained from IUU fishing into the EU; reinforced and harmonised sanctions, and a Community alert system. Therefore, there is not much missing from the Commission’s proposal.
However, as you know, three points have been the subject of a heated debate within the Council, particularly concerning the scope of the regulation. For my part, I am delighted that we have finally managed to secure the scope that you have proposed, which extends to both Community and third-country vessels. The catch certificate has also been considered too cumbersome or complex, and the level and nature of the sanctions have also been fiercely debated.
These issues were also raised within our committee. However, our amendments have, I think, finally helped to clarify the text while preserving the ambition and major goals of the new regulation. The report was adopted by unanimous vote and I would like to thank my colleagues for their support, which helped to secure this outcome. With a sector in crisis, the European Parliament wants to send out a very strong signal today, aimed particularly at the Council, which has been too slow to shoulder its responsibilities in this area.
Commissioner, the fight against IUU fishing is still only part of the wider policy including the Control Regulation and that of serious offences. This divide has not helped to clarify the proceedings, to say the least. We are still waiting for clarification from you on how these three new regulations are to be structured. Similarly, concerns over the complexity of the catch certificate are just an excuse to dilute or postpone the text. We need universally comprehensible procedures which can be operated by a sufficient number of reliable, efficient and competent staff, and are accessible to developing countries, who in any case are the main victims of IUU fishing. On this too we expect clarification and a commitment from you.
Finally, we are counting, Commissioner, on your resolve – which we know is considerable – to put a swift end to illegal fishing, which affects bluefin tuna and cod most of all, highly prized species which are heavily overfished at present. This at least would give a concrete response to the serious problems currently faced by the fishing industry. There is still a great deal of work to be done, as you know, to ensure a sustainable future for European fisheries. However, an important step will be taken in the coming weeks, and I am as pleased about this as you are."@en1
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