Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-06-12-Speech-3-309"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020612.9.3-309"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, this is a very important report because the European Community is discussing recovery plans for fish stocks for the first time. Since this is the first time, it is very important that we get it right. We must make sure that the actions we take will reverse the declines in several cod stocks and northern hake and allow them to recover.
The Commission proposals were tough and will definitely have an impact upon the fishing communities involved, but they had to be tough because the state of the stocks is so poor. As the rapporteur has said, if we do not do something about fish stocks, there will be no fishing industry in the future as there will be no fish. ICES says that cod in the North Sea is at its lowest level since 1963. While hake may not yet be in such dire straits, it is still far below the level which is appropriate, and the warning bells have been ringing now for quite some time.
The Commission, the Committee on Fisheries and the Council all claim to agree with the precautionary approach, which states that the absence of definite proof should not be used to refuse action to prevent a decline in fish stocks. In other words, as soon as there are reasonable grounds to believe that cod and hake stocks need a degree of protection, we should act. That is exactly what the Commission has done. However, what did the Committee on Fisheries do? It argued that there is no crisis involving hake and completely removed it from the proposal.
We must vote against this amendment. I agree with the rapporteur on this point. It is completely unacceptable. This is not a precautionary approach to fisheries management. The committee is simply paying lip service to the idea and continuing with business as usual. We are not going to solve the problems if this is the way we go on. We cannot keep refusing to face up to reality. We must realise that these stocks are endangered and we must protect the fishing industry. It is doing the fishing industry no favours in the long term if this is the kind of simplistic, nationalistic short-term approach that has been taken. If the report goes through plenary as it is, the Verts/ALE Group will have to vote against it."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples