Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-10-Speech-2-563"
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"en.20090310.39.2-563"2
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"− Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank Members for their comments and the points that have been raised in this debate, and also for accepting the request for urgency. As I stated at the start, the measures agreed in Marrakesh need to be transposed as soon as possible in order to apply from the start of this fishing season.
This year will clearly be a test of our ability to demonstrate our commitment to the sustainability of this endemic stock. I cannot emphasise enough the crucial importance for all contracting parties, not least our own fishers, to respect the newly-agreed measures. This is the only way to provide a chance for the survival of the stock. Not respecting the new recovery plan will have serious consequences and will lead to a collapse of the stock.
On the point that was raised by Mrs Fraga Estévez, I cannot agree more that, for the recovery plan to succeed, we need to bring about a reduction of capacity, in particular, of the purse seine fleet, which is the one which causes most pressures on the bluefin tuna stock. In this regard, I would like to refer to the fact that last year, we had agreed on a restructuring package which was triggered because of the fuel crisis and we are encouraging Member States to make use of this restructuring package in order to bring about a reduction of the fleet, in particular, of the purse seine fleet. We are hearing some encouraging news with regard to one particular Member State, France, which is undertaking to encourage certain fishers to decommission their vessels in order to bring about a reduction in capacity.
We need to see this happening also in the other Member States such as Italy, in particular, which suffers from a significant overcapacity. We are therefore, at this present moment, engaging in discussions with the Italian authorities in order to see whether they can effect something in this regard in the very short term.
I need to underline the fact that last year, we closed the fishery early so as not to come under any pressure from any Member State or any group of Member States. We closed the fishery early: immediately when, according to our own calculations, the overall Community quota was exhausted. This year, also as a result of the annual fishing plans that have been agreed on the Community’s insistence in Marrakesh, we are prepared to close the fishery early with regard to particular Member States. If the fleet of a particular Member State overshoots its quota, we will not hesitate to close the fishery for that particular Member State. In that way, only the fleet of that Member State will suffer the consequences of its overshooting, and not the fleet of the whole Community. I hope that will be enough to fine-tune our action even further during the course of the fishing season.
If we do not deliver on this new recovery plan, then in the years to come, we will have to face the serious consequence that the whole fishery should not open at all in the coming years. I hope that we will be able to deliver on this plan.
Therefore, I do not agree, regrettably, with what Mr Romeva i Rueda said that the recovery plan is a death certificate. I think that the recovery plan, if properly implemented, gives us a realistic and reasonable chance to see to it that the stock does recover. The fact that we have reduced quotas from 15 641 tonnes to 12 406 tonnes in 2009, the fact that by virtue of what we are discussing today and by virtue of the Council Decision which, hopefully, will be taken later in the month, the fact that we are going to implement the Marrakesh Recovery Plan adopted in November, from this very fishing season, is indicative of the fact that we mean business. We are not prepared to accept any abuse of the fishing possibilities that are based on what was agreed in Marrakesh.
We have not waited for the natural implementation of the Marrakesh agreement, which would have come too late in the fishing season for bluefin tuna. We have decided to have all the parameters of the Marrakesh plan introduced from the very start.
I hope that these will be properly adhered to because, in that way, we will be able together to recover this endemic stock. If not, however, then next year we will have to speak another language."@en1
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