Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-21-Speech-3-524-000"
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"en.20121121.31.3-524-000"2
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"Mr President, first I would like to thank all rapporteurs for their reports and not only the rapporteurs of course, but also the shadow rapporteurs and the Committee on Fisheries as a whole. It is obvious that a lot of work has been done here on very important issues and I am very happy to see that the fisheries policy draws the attention of more and more Members of this House. I do not have the time unfortunately to refer to all the issues raised by the rapporteur, so let me focus on some points.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to congratulate Mrs Lövin for her report on the external dimension of the common fisheries policy. This is a very important issue. This is a part of the reform we are trying to introduce and I can say also that I am really proud that Parliament and the Fisheries Committee, and almost all of you, have supported it.
This report is also important because it looks beyond the common fisheries policy into other policies, other areas that have an important impact on the sustainable management of international fisheries resources, such as trade and foreign policy. So, here about trade and foreign policy, there is a lot of work to be done with other services, with other committees, and I am very happy that we have gone through it.
I am very pleased that Parliament shows broad support for bold external action for sustainable fisheries management worldwide. This will improve our standing as an important fishing and market entity for sound and efficient fisheries management. We need this worldwide image. European fisheries policy needs this new image. It will also strengthen our position in negotiations with third parties to move forward the sustainability agenda and the global fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
As you know, last week, the Commission initiated a procedure against eight countries for failing to address illegal fishing. I would like to thank Parliament for its support on this file. So we have to move to the international handling of this very important issue and we need the credentials, let me put it this way, we need the credentials of a new international aspect in our fisheries policy to do so.
I also welcome that the report endorses the need for bilateral agreements; this is very important. We need the bilateral agreements and we need a new generation of new bilateral agreements that would lead to a stable and transparent framework for both our partners and our industry. In particular, I appreciate that Parliament supports our proposal that the European fishing industry should take over a more important financial share of the costs when acquiring access rights to non-EU fishing zones.
I would like once again to thank all the rapporteurs and the speakers for their contributions.
My first point concerns the multiannual plan for the Baltic salmon stock. Of course, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Gróbarczyk, and I would like to say that we welcome Parliament’s endorsement that this stock should be managed according to the principle of maximum sustainable yield. It seems very easy now to refer to maximum sustainable yield, but I would like to remind all of you that it was not like this years ago; we have made progress here and we have done this together. I also welcome the ideas mentioned by the rapporteur that would increase the protection of the stocks like higher smolt production targets in rivers. This is very, very encouraging and we have to work together to see this excellent work implemented.
With regard to the proposal on transitional technical measures: I would like to thank Mr Gallagher for his work but I would also like to underline that he has made a tremendous effort to make this agreement possible in time. This is very important considering the time constraints he had to face. I would like to say that the discontinuation of these measures (even temporarily) would have negative consequences for the conservation of some stocks and for vulnerable marine habitats, so I am very pleased that agreement was found on this proposal. Difficult and technical issues were handled by all of you and I think that we have achieved a high-level of conservation for these stocks.
Let me move now to the shark finning proposal; I think that we all agree – we have to agree, after all, because this is the reality – that
allow shark fins to be removed on board and these rules are very difficult to control in practice. We cannot have a civil servant on every boat; this is impossible. Even if we wanted it, it would be impossible. So these rules do not provide sufficient safeguards to avoid the removal of fins and carcasses being discarded. I believe that rules that cannot be controlled in practice are just not good enough. It is therefore essential that all sharks are landed with their fins still attached, without any derogations.
I would like to remind you that many important shark fishing nations have already adopted fins-attached laws. We are not the first here. We are the followers rather, and their fishermen, the other nations’ fishermen, have shown that this is possible, while remaining profitable. So we can also do it. Some European fleets have also voluntarily adopted a fins-attached practice without complaining about additional costs. Regional Fisheries Management Organisations are also moving towards fins-attached rules. So there is a general tendency here. I hope that this House will support the Commission to close any remaining loopholes in the rules.
Let me now say a few words on a very important own-initiative report: the report about small-scale fisheries. Small-scale fisheries are extremely important in Union fisheries. I do not have the time to refer to figures but they are in the report one way or another. So I would like just to say that over three out of four European vessels are small-scale coastal vessels, generating jobs and income, and contributing to the social fabric of our coastal communities. So it is not only about money, it is also about the real life of coastal areas.
Small-scale fisheries are also likely to benefit the most from a reformed fisheries policy based on a clear and time-bound obligation to manage stocks at maximum sustainable levels and to eliminate discards. Why? Because these small-scale fisheries are the most vulnerable segments of our fisheries industry and if the fish are in good health, then the small-scale fisheries can take advantage of it. They are also likely to benefit from the introduction of fish stock recovery areas in territorial waters. I am therefore looking favourably at the idea of fish stock recovery areas as a conservation tool. Small-scale fisheries can also take advantage of these, too.
Our reform proposals place a special emphasis on small-scale fleets: we relieve small vessels from administrative and unnecessary financial burden; we differentiate fleet capacity management; we provide specific support from our new financial instrument. I would like to thank Mr Ferreira for his report, which highlights many important elements and I would like to say that some of these elements are already there in our reform proposal, for example the better funding, for example, the market rules. Very important for small-scale fisheries.
I am grateful for your constructive contributions on the role of small-scale fishing in the future policy and I would like to underline that I really am trying, the Commission is trying, to change the pattern here and really help small vessels."@en1
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"we have to eradicate the horrendous practice of shark finning and protect sharks better. We need to do that one way or another, but we really need to do that. Our current rules"1
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