Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-09-11-Speech-2-647-000"
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"en.20120911.41.2-647-000"2
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"Mr President, let me first thank the four rapporteurs, Mr Gallagher, Mr Stevenson, Mr Torvalds and Mr Salavrakos, for their presentations and for their outstanding work. I would also like to greet Commissioner Damanaki and her commitment and ambition in advancing the reform of our fisheries policy.
I do not need to stress that the EMFF’s role in the reform will now be the focus of our discussions, in particular, its importance for growth, boosting aquaculture, creating more jobs and helping to implement the new common fisheries policy. With the new Council conclusions on the external dimension, the Council has set a more detailed framework for bilateral fisheries agreements, based on sustainability, and has given policy directions for the Union’s work in regional and multilateral fisheries organisations.
Last but not least, as a testimony to the success we can achieve together, I would like to thank Mr Gallagher for his outstanding work on the trade measures file which is expected to be adopted by our two institutions by the end of this month. This is a far-reaching piece of legislation which will enable the European Union to adopt effective measures against third countries allowing non-sustainable fishing.
Of course, the most recent such case that comes to our minds is the situation of the north-east Atlantic mackerel stock. We all know that unfortunately, the latest attempt to find a solution acceptable to all did not succeed last week in London. I would like to recall the July Council’s desire to find a suitable compromise for this very unfortunate situation, but not at any price. Thanks to this legislation, we now have an additional instrument to use against such non-sustainable management practices.
It is a great honour for me to be here today to present the Council views on the very important topics that we plan to discuss. These include of course, as we said, the reform of the common fisheries policy. I look forward to working very closely with you in the codecision procedure as we advance a very important legislative agenda with a significant impact on EU citizens. Therefore, I would like to stress my commitment to making our joint work successful and rewarding.
Concerning the common fisheries policy reform, the Council launched its debate horizontally in July last year. That debate took into account the Commission communications on which Mr Haglund and Mr Salavrakos have prepared reports. Since then, the Council has focused on the common market organisation and the regulation on the common fisheries policy, reaching a general approach in June of this year. In addition, the Council agreed on conclusions for the external fisheries policy in March of this year.
The Council’s position on the common market organisation enlarges the role and responsibility of producer organisations towards promoting more sustainable fishing activities, taking on tasks related to fisheries management and on handling unwanted catches that fishermen will have to land after the implementation of the discard ban.
On public market interventions, the Council agrees with the Commission that these interventions should be scaled down. Storage aid should be the only remaining intervention and Member States are not yet in agreement on whether these should be completely phased out over time.
On consumer information, the Council agrees with the Commission that product labels should have to report on whether the fish has been defrosted before marketing, but the Council disagrees with the Commission’s proposal that the date of catch should be mandatory as well.
On the reform in general, the Council’s position can be summarised as follows: management of fish stocks needs to achieve maximum sustainable yield by 2015, where possible, and by 2020 at the latest. New multiannual plans should better reflect the interdependence of fish stocks and fisheries and apply the maximum sustainable yield policy to all stocks which are significant in the area of the multiannual plan. Discard reductions should be at the forefront of the fisheries reform, accompanied by a landing obligation which will be phased in according to a timetable.
I would like to welcome the European Parliament’s support for a more regionalised common fisheries policy with better involvement of stakeholders and reinforced advisory councils. The Council agrees with this pillar of the reform, and its general approach contains procedures for putting regionalisation into practice as well as reinforcing the role of advisory councils.
With regard to transferable fishing concessions, many Member States are cautious concerning their effectiveness in fighting over-capacity and are concerned about possible unintended consequences. The general approach therefore foresees the introduction of transferable fishing concessions on a voluntary basis, while improving the existing mechanism to report on over-capacity and to take measures for fleet capacity adjustment. The link between fleet capacity and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund will be further explored by ministers during their September meeting in two weeks’ time, preparing for a partial general approach at the October Council."@en1
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