Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-01-Speech-3-195"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000301.13.3-195"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, one thing must be made clear, to my mind: it is the task of our common fisheries policy to guarantee sustainable fisheries management. Conservation of the marine ecosystem is both in the interests of fisheries management and of environmental protection. It is simply the case, Mr Nicholson, that we must succeed in crossing this divide between the measures that are deemed necessary and adopted here in Brussels, and the views and also justifiable interests of the fishermen in various parts of the Community.
You also recommend extending coastal waters from a 12 to a 24 mile zone. I believe we will need to discuss this issue in great depth though, for we must not forget that this could bring major problems as well as benefits, particularly in the light of the fact that in so doing, we would actually be heading in the direction of a partial renationalisation of fisheries policy.
All in all, though, this report demonstrates our commitment to the aforementioned aims, and we therefore welcome the support this report has received from the rapporteur, Mr Katiforis.
However, in my opinion, sustainability is a principle that ought not solely to take account of environmental considerations, rather it is equally important to make economic and social considerations part of the concept. If we want to secure the sustainability of the European fisheries sector in economic and ecological terms, then we certainly have a lot of work to do there, although there have already been some developments along the right lines.
I would remind you of the measures for improving the selectivity of fishing gear which came into force this year. I would remind you of our decisions on setting catch quotas, so as to reduce fishing for threatened stocks by 40%. I would remind you of the introduction of protected areas, which also benefit sea birds, for example, and, lastly, I would just like to mention the long-term management strategies, which are based on applying the precautionary principle to ten of the most important fisheries stocks used for commercial purposes in Community waters.
As I said though, we still have a lot of work to do. In particular, we should, after thinking one or two things through, head in the direction of multiannual quota setting. This would help to secure long-term, sustainable fishing activities, and would afford fishermen a longer-term perspective and help them to plan with greater certainty. Short-term measures alone benefit neither the stocks nor the fishermen. However, if we are to take a fresh approach to this issue, then this requires a certain amount of political courage, and this goes for all parties involved, whether they are working at national or Community level.
One of the things the Commission is called upon to do in the amendments – which are also the subject of our debate – is to devote more funding to the fisheries policy. I must remind you at this point that the rules we work to have changed. The Berlin decisions have meant that there is no scope for fresh, new budgets or money. We have to operate under the terms of the financial framework that was placed at our disposal there."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples