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Europaudvalget 2011-12
EUU Alm.del Bilag 265
Offentligt

INTERPARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE MEETING

European Parliament - national Parliaments

REFORM OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY :

THE OPINION OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS

Brussels, 28 February 2012

European Parliament

Room PHS - 3C050

15h00 - 18h30

An orientation to the debate

Introduction

The European fishing industry is at the crossroads. The previous reform of the CFP

did not achieve its key objectives. A thorough reform of European fishing practices is

essential if we wish to lay the foundations of an environmentally sustainable and

socio-economically viable European fishing industry.

Respect for resources and the environment, sufficient supply of quality fisheries and

aquaculture products, prosperity of coastal regions and fishing sector enterprises all

along the production chain, making the sector more attractive by improving working

conditions are the key points which the Commission's reform package addresses, with

the overarching ambition of ensuring the sustainability of the European fishing

industry. But this aim should not being removed from the socio-economic context in

which it is set: with 23 million people unemployed in the European Union, the

fisheries and aquaculture sectors must be seen as important direct and indirect sources

of jobs in our maritime regions.

At this stage it is up to European Parliament - with the help of National Parliaments -

to put these priorities in order, and to play its full part as co-legislator, by defining a

political framework covering the various issues set out in the Commission’s

legislative proposals. These three proposals will be the main focus of this

interparliamentary committee meeting, during which National Parliaments are

expected to deliver their opinion and to feed the debate which will lead later to the

draft reports of the EP committee on fisheries.

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Panel 1 : Basic Regulation

Rapporteur :

Ulrike RODUST

(S&D, Germany)

This is the "masterpiece" of the Reform, which covers a broad part of the objectives

of the CFP, and includes sustainability initiatives, socio-economic measures to ensure

the future of fisheries and aquaculture sectors, majors changes in the CFP governance,

and new dimensions of the external policy.

More precisely, the main issues to be discussed within this panel are:



General provisions and objectives, including

"MSY" (‘maximum

sustainable yield’)

Discards

Multiannual plans

Transferable Fishing Concessions

Management of Fishing Capacities

Regionalisation

New governance and the role of the Regional Advisory Councils

External Policy



Panel 2 : Common Organisation of the Market

Rapporteur

: Struan STEVENSON

(ECR, UK)

The CMO is the first component of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and has been

in place since 1970. The proposed reform of the CFP provides the EU legislator and

stakeholders with an opportunity to take stock and improve existing CMO instruments

- including the role of Producer Organisations - and to analyse recent market

developments.

This second panel should lead to debates on:



Creation and role of of POs

(aquaculture

POs, associations of POs, inter-branch organisations)

Improvement of market intelligence

Single storage mechanism as systems of market intervention

POs, transnational

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

EU eco-label for sustainable fishing

Creation of a

level playing-field between EU fisheries products

and imported products

Definition of

"Marketing Standards"

(minimum marketing sizes, canned

products, hygiene, etc.)

Panel 3 : European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Rapporteur

: Alain CADEC

(EPP, FRANCE)

The current proposal for the Regulation on

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

(EMFF) aims at achieving the objectives of the reformed CFP and of Integrated

Martime Policy. The EMFF proposal provides that a significant part of the EU budget

should continue to be dedicated to fisheries and maritime policies. The EMFF budget

amounts, in current prices to € 6 567 million. The proposal entitles to finance all the

current policies (inc. conservation and research, etc.) at the exeption of the financing

of SFAs and the complusory contribution to RFMOs.

In line with the two previous panels, the discussions on EMFF should focus on the

following points:



the

promotion of sustainable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture;

fostering the development and implementation of the

Union's Integrated

Maritime Policy, in a complementary manner to

cohesion policy and to

CFP;

promotion of

balanced and inclusive territorial development of fisheries

areas

(including

aquaculture and inland fishing);

contribution to the

implementation of the CFP.



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