Policy Recommendations

  • In order to improve PCD, the negotiations of the fisheries agreements must be based on the contracting countrys priorities for suitable development of its fishing sector and its country as a whole (food security strategies for example).
  • Conditions and prioritization needs to be introduced for access to third countries waters; In line with the FAO Code of Conduct, priority access should be reserved for the national fleets, especially small scale and artisan fishing activity. Further access should be restricted to those operators who can demonstrate that their operations fit with EU sustainable fisheries development criteria.
  • The EU should respect the surplus principle as concluded in the UNCLOS; the EU should not fish in countries where a surplus is not proved and the prevention of overexploitation cannot be guaranteed.
  • The EU should step up efforts and provide the necessary resources to help contracting countries develop more effective national resource management systems in order to prevent overexploitation.
  • The EU should ensure better adherence to laws and codes of conduct of EU fleets. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing must be tackled.
  • In accordance to the Cotonou Agreement as well as Development Policy of the EU, the fisheries and trade policies need to be mutually satisfactory and combat poverty by supporting the development of an environmentally and socially sustainable local fisheries sector in the third countries.
  • EU fisheries subsidies, directly or indirectly need to be phased out where they are proven not to be socio-economically profitable for any of the stakeholders. The EU should raise the price of fishing licences to its fleets and technological progress of the vessels needs to finance itself through the market, in order to abort any hidden subsidy that hurts poor fishermen.
  • Fisheries Agreements must be negotiated, concluded or extended based on a scientific basis and reliable data. The reviewed CFP should define a decision-making framework ensuring that decisions are taken at the appropriate levels (maximum sustainable amount of catch and total allowable catch need to be set by scientists for example).

 

Case: Fisheries Partnership Agreements

27-01-2010 CFP in Review: Parliaments reactions to Commissions Green Paper

In January the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) adopted the report on the Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). There are serious flaws in the current CFP, many of which concern the external relations (Fisheries Partnership Agreements, FPAs) and effects on third countries. The Commission recognizes these flaws and therefore published a Green Report on which reactions were welcomed, in preparation for the necessary reform of the CFP in 2012. The PECH Committee in the Parliament therefore reported their reaction and appointed Maria do Céu Partrao Neves as rapporteur.

Patrao Neves, from the European Peoples Party (EPP), gave little attention to the Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPAs) which are momentarily incoherent with the EUs development policy. Very briefly, the FPAs are agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries that state that EU vessels can fish in the waters of third countries in exchange for a financial compensation. Although there are positive factors to these agreements, the local fishing communities in ACP countries have difficulties competing with the subsidized and technologically superior EU vessels. Furthermore, many of the FAO Codes of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries are being broken by EU vessels due to the unsustainable amounts of fish being fished in these waters. Because of  these problems local fishermen cannot develop their industries and not enough fish is available to provide local populations with the necessary nutrients.

There were 423 amendments submitted to the report which shows how important the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) find the subject and the need to express their opinions. All in all the MEPs agreed on the need for long-term sustainable and viable fisheries. They highlighted the importance for an environmentally sustainable and socially fair fisheries sector internally and externally and that the CFP must be inline with the EU external policy (which includes the EUs development policy). MEPs called for more transparency and urged partnership agreements to be negotiated on a sound scientific basis rather than a political one. There were some MEPs, who specifically suggested to make the CFP and the FPAs more coherent with the development policy.

Isabella Lovin (Greens/EFA) explicitly states that the report is written in line with the necessity for the EU to improve its coherence between the CFP and the EUs Development policy. Furthermore she advocates the environmental sustainability and socially fair characteristics of future agreements and the importance of scientific knowledge to determine the surplus resources in third countries.  Josefa Adrés Barea and Antolín Sánchez Presedo (S&D) also emphasize the importance for harmonisation between all areas such as environment, safety, public health, economy, trade, and development cooperation. Finally Carmen Fraga Estévez (EPP) also submitted a few important amendments. She mainly focussed on defending the fish industry in line with the EUs external policy and not excluding the development cooperation dimension. She also calls on the negotiations of the FPAs to be on a sound scientific basis. These amendments were very much welcomed by Fair Politics, and made the report more coherent towards Development. Lovin, Andrés Barea, Sánchez Presedo and Fraga Estévez are all recognized as fair politicians for their efforts in making EU policy more coherent.

Find the Report on the Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy here

Monitor fair: Greens/EFA, S&D(2), EPP