Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-09-11-Speech-2-646-000"
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"en.20120911.41.2-646-000"2
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"Mr President, may I start by thanking my colleagues and rapporteurs Mr Stevenson, Mr Gallagher, Mr Haglund and Mr Torvalds, and all the members of the Committee on Fisheries, for their assistance in the drafting of this report. My thanks in particular to the shadow rapporteurs and my associate Ms Zacharaki, who worked on this matter. Fisheries are, without doubt, at a crucial turning point. The previous reform of the common fisheries policy did not manage to achieve the basic targets set, as the European Commission itself admits. However, we must put that down to experience as well.
At this very moment, we are being given the opportunity and the means to carry out an in-depth reform that will pave the way for sustainable European fisheries, both from an environmental point of view and from a socio-economic point of view. The European Union represents about 4.6% of global fisheries and aquaculture production, which makes it the world’s fourth biggest producer. Nevertheless, 60% of the fish consumed in the European Union are imported. According to information available, 75% of the Union’s fish stocks are overexploited and more than 60% of fish stocks in European waters are being fished beyond the maximum sustainable yield.
The European Union loses potential income in the order of EUR 1.8 billion per year as a result of its failure to manage its fisheries sustainably. At the same time, it lost 30% of its jobs between 2002 and 2007. We therefore need to make fisheries environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. These are the pillars underpinning the report being presented to you.
Particular emphasis is placed, chapter by chapter, on the maximum sustainable yield. Achieving production at maximum sustainable yield is an ambitious objective that will help to allow fish stocks to recover. The admittedly poor state of our stocks is such that we need to be ambitious, especially in this phase, when we have an historic opportunity to lay the foundations of European fisheries policy.
The report highlights the difficulties inherent in implementing the maximum sustainable yield principle, in particular, in the case of mixed fisheries or where scientific data to support it are inadequate. This should be a focal point of the Commission and of Ms Damanaki, whom I also thank for her assistance. I also thank her office for its assistance and advice during the drafting of this report. The Commission is called upon to increase financing for the Member States for secure and reliable data collection. I believe that the reliability and availability of their data should be one of the most important priorities of the reform.
My colleagues who have already spoken mentioned the measure of eliminating discards. This is a measure that concerns us, because it is without doubt unacceptable for us to throw food fit for consumption back into the sea. At this time, in this recession, we are all aware of the wastage of resources that this practice represents and how destructive it is for the environment and for the viability of stocks.
That is all I have to say, because my colleagues, whose reports are fully in keeping with my report, have covered what I wanted to say. Thank you once again and please support my report."@en1
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