The European Parliament adopted today an own-initiative report on the implementation of the EU action plan against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. MEPs point out that the Green Paper on a new maritime policy could serve as a framework for cooperation on the basis of which the fight against illegal fishing might be more effective. The EP also asks the Commission to publish blacklists of fishing vessels and to consider the idea of establishing an EU coastguard.
In its work programme for 2007, the Commission announced that the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) will become a priority and it will produce a communication and a proposal for a regulation defining a new strategy to combat IUU fishing. The report by Marie-Hélène Aubert adopted today in the European Parliament aims to provide the Commission with concrete ideas and suggestions for action to be taken.
According to MEPs, the Commission should create a Community register of vessels engaging in IUU fishing, which would include vessels on regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) blacklists. Such a register would facilitate the swift exchange of information among the Member States and make it possible to monitor vessels taking account of possible re-flagging.
The EP asks that all blacklists of fishing vessels and fish transport vessels, including their owners or operators, adopted by RFMOs are published and incorporated directly into Community law. Non-EU vessels on those lists must be prohibited from entry into EU ports for any purpose, except in cases of 'force majeure' or for humanitarian reasons. All EU-flagged vessels must be prohibited from providing support (fuel, supplies, transhipment, etc.) to those vessels while at sea.
MEPs call on the Commission to present its proposal on eco-labelling by June 2007, reiterating its belief that the improvements in the traceability of fish, from the net to the plate, that would be required by eco-labelling schemes would be of considerable help in identifying IUU fish and keeping it off the EU market.
The EP urges the Commission to help developing countries, especially those with which it has fishing agreements, to comply fully with the commitments of the international plan of action designed to prevent illegal fishing, helping to strengthen the scant means available to them by including specific actions in the new partnership agreements.
The EP welcomes the establishment of the new Community Fisheries Control Agency, in Vigo (Spain), and is confident that the agency will play an important role in the fight against IUU fishing. MEPs call on the Commission to consider the idea of the establishment of an EU coastguard.
Finally, the EP asks the Commission to carry out and submit a study on compliance with Community labour, health and safety legislation and on respect for the social rights of workers on vessels and on their living and working conditions on board.
