PREPORUKA o nacrtu odluke Vijeća  o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara

19.6.2015 - (15225/2014 – C8‑0002/2015 – 2014/0319(NLE)) - ***

Odbor za ribarstvo
Izvjestitelj: Ricardo Serrão Santos

NACRT ZAKONODAVNE REZOLUCIJE EUROPSKOG PARLAMENTA

o nacrtu odluke Vijeća o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara

(15225/2014 – C8‑0002/2015 – 2014/0319(NLE))

(Suglasnost)

Europski parlament,

–       uzimajući u obzir nacrt odluke Vijeća (15225/2014),

–       uzimajući u obzir nacrt protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Sejšela (15226/2014),

–       uzimajući u obzir zahtjev Vijeća za davanje suglasnosti u skladu s člankom 43. i člankom 218. stavkom 6. podstavkom 2. točkom (a) i člankom 218. stavkom 7. Ugovora o funkcioniranju Europske unije (C8‑0002/2015),

–       uzimajući u obzir članak 99. stavak 1. prvi i treći podstavak, članak 99. stavak 2. i članak 108. stavak 7. Poslovnika,

–       uzimajući u obzir preporuku Odbora za ribarstvo i mišljenja Odbora za razvoj i Odbora za proračune (A8‑0196/2015),

1.      daje suglasnost sklapanju Protokola;

2.      nalaže svojem predsjedniku da stajalište Parlamenta proslijedi Vijeću, Komisiji te vladama i parlamentima država članica i Republike Madagaskara.

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

Context

Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the south-east coast of Africa. The country comprises the island of Madagascar (the fourth largest island in the world), and several smaller islands. Madagascar's geological history has made it a vital repository of biodiversity, with 90% of its species being endemic.

The economy of Madagascar is based mainly on agriculture, livestock farming and fisheries. Its fishing resources are used for local consumption and are the basis of international agreements, of which this Fisheries Partnership Agreement forms part.

The Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar is based on the rules established under the management mandate of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and other internationally accepted rules.

The Fisheries Partnership Agreement proposed includes fishing opportunities for 94 vessels, of which 40 are seiners and 54 surface longliners of varying sizes. It sets a catch of 15 750 tons of hake in the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Madagascar. In return for using this fishing area, the European Union will fund the fisheries sector in the Republic of Madagascar to around 700 000 euros annually and make another general contribution worth about 866 250 euros in the first two years of the agreement and 787 500 in the final two years. Overall, the agreement provides for a contribution of 6 107 500 euros from the European Union to the Republic of Madagascar over the four years of the current partnership agreement.

The vessel owners involved will make payments to contribute to the Madagascar fisheries observer programme and pay rates proportional to the fish caught. The contribution under the observer programme is 20 euros per observer day aboard.

The partnership agreement provides for the employment of seamen from the Republic of Madagascar or ACP countries. However, the agreement also allows vessel owners to pay a lump sum of 20 euros per embarking seaman.

This proposal arises from the interests of the European Union, the Government of the Republic of Madagascar and the vessel owners and is rooted in several working meetings between the partners involved and the data reported in several analysis documents requested by the European Union.

General opportunities for improving fisheries cooperation protocols

In formal terms this is a good partnership agreement for the fisheries sector. It specifies target species, the expected value of the fish, the amounts to be invested and the expected general return. The observation programme that should accompany the activity is also outlined and vulnerable and protected species are mentioned. The agreement sets out the broad lines for detailed scientific monitoring, including the possibility of carrying out experimental fishing campaigns.

Despite planned monitoring using an observer programme, which is positive, this involves only 10% of the European fleet. This is a low figure and it is important to make efforts to increase the coverage rate.

As opportunities for improvement, it is agreed that methods and technologies should be defined in Appendix 2 to safeguard vulnerable species, with particular emphasis on marine turtles, cetaceans and seabirds. The spirit that governs the activities of European fishermen operating in European seas, particularly with regard to the Regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, should be present in fisheries agreements with third countries.

In the same appendix reference is made to shark fishing, which must be discontinued if it exceeds the quota of 250 tons for these animals. This reference to shark fishing should be clarified.

At present, tropical fishing uses hundreds of fish aggregating devices per vessel in a completely uncontrolled way. Although they do not influence the total fish catch and allow faster capture of sustainably available quotas, these devices allow different tuna population age groups to be caught and influence fish migratory routes in ways that are not yet fully understood.

Several operational and adaptive management actions in this agreement are based on decisions by the Joint Committee, as provided in Appendix 2. However, the protocol does not refer to the composition of the Joint Committee, its mandate, the frequency of its meetings or the enabling legislation.

One of the biggest criticisms of the European Union fisheries partnership agreements is around the monitoring and evaluation of the benefits of specific investments in the sector. To counter this effect, fisheries partnership agreements should contain explicit and measurable targets and indicators to be evaluated at the end of them. Objectives such as increasing the autonomy of partner countries in the fisheries sector (e.g. increased numbers of local fishermen), a contribution to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and the implementation of monitoring programmes (e.g. VMS or AIS) are issues that should figure more prominently within the partnership agreements.

Conclusions:

Although there are opportunities for improvement to be made in future fisheries partnerships, the rapporteur believes that this proposal should be approved. In terms of the monitoring of this Protocol by the European Parliament, it is proposed to the Commission that:

1.  it transmit relevant information to Parliament on the joint scientific meetings provided for in Article 7 of the Partnership Agreement and on the changes to fishing conditions provided for in Article 8 of the Partnership Agreement, other Joint Committee meetings, specifically the minutes and conclusions, the annual report on the effective application of the multi-annual support programme referred to in Article 6 of the Agreement, and other documents considered relevant;

2.  representatives of the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries, if considered relevant, may participate as observers at meetings of the Joint Committee to monitor this Agreement;

3.  it presents to Parliament and to the Council, during the last year of the Protocol's validity and before the opening of negotiations for its renewal, an ex-post evaluation report on its implementation, including an analysis of the extent to which fishing opportunities were used, a cost-benefit assessment of the Protocol and a report on possible constraints to fishing operations;

4.  check the fairness of the Protocol, including the sharing of benefits generated by European vessel owners.

2.6.2015

MIŠLJENJE Odbora za razvoj

upućeno Odboru za ribarstvo

o prijedlogu odluke Vijeća o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara

(15225/2014 – C8‑0002/2015 – 2014/0319(NLE))

Izvjestitelj za mišljenje: Louis Michel

JUSTIFICATION SUCCINCTE

Le présent accord et son protocole doivent se conformer au nouveau règlement relatif à la politique commune de la pêche (PCP) qui met l'accent sur la durabilité de la pêche et la bonne gouvernance ; elle reconnaît l'importance de la cohérence politique entre la PCP et les objectifs de l'UE en matière de coopération au développement.

Le partenariat dans le cadre de cet accord doit promouvoir l'exploitation responsable des ressources halieutiques du Madagascar. C’est une opportunité pour booster la croissance économique, améliorer la situation des droits de l’homme et les conditions des travailleurs, en particulier des femmes et éradiquer le travail illégal des enfants dans ce domaine.

L’UE devrait encourager ses navires à engager des pêcheurs locaux et à débarquer leurs captures au Madagascar pour leur transformation. Ces navires doivent respecter les obligations de déclaration annuelle conforment aux règles de la bonne gouvernance et de la transparence. Une commission paritaire UE- Madagascar pour la pêche devrait examiner l’impact de ce partenariat.

Le rapporteur se réjouis de l’allocation d'un montant annuel de 700 000 EUR destiné à appuyer la politique sectorielle des ressources halieutiques et de la pêche. Ce montant devrait être utilisé pour soutenir la réalisation des projets de recherche scientifique, de contrôle et de surveillance pour la lutte contre la pêche illégale, la gestion durable du stock de poissons et la promotion de la pêche artisanale indispensable à la sécurité alimentaire. Le Madagascar devra multiplier des efforts pour faire preuve de transparence dans la gestion de la contrepartie financière.

Le rapporteur voit en cet accord une opportunité pour l’UE d’encourager le pays à faire des efforts pour se conformer à l'accord de de Cotonou, en particulier son article 9 relatif aux droits de l’homme, aux principes démocratiques, à l’État de droit et à la bonne gestion des affaires publiques.

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Odbor za razvoj poziva Odbor za ribarstvo da kao nadležni odbor preporuči odobravanje prijedloga odluke Vijeća o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara.

REZULTAT KONAČNOG GLASOVANJA U ODBORU

Datum usvajanja	1.6.2015
Rezultat konačnog glasovanja	+: –: 0:	24 0 0
Zastupnici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, Ignazio Corrao, Charles Goerens, Enrique Guerrero Salom, Heidi Hautala, Maria Heubuch, Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio, Arne Lietz, Linda McAvan, Norbert Neuser, Maurice Ponga, Cristian Dan Preda, Elly Schlein, Pedro Silva Pereira, Davor Ivo Stier, Paavo Väyrynen, Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Anna Záborská
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	Bernd Lucke, Louis-Joseph Manscour, Paul Rübig, Joachim Zeller
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju prema čl. 200. st. 2.	Miguel Urbán Crespo, Dennis de Jong

7.5.2015

MIŠLJENJE Odbora za proračune

upućeno Odboru za ribarstvo

o nacrtu odluke Vijeća o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokolu o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara

(15225/2014 – C8‑0002/2015 – 2014/0319(NLE))

Izvjestitelj za mišljenje: Jean-Paul Denanot

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

On the basis of the powers conferred on it by the Council, the European Commission has conducted negotiations with Madagascar with a view to renewing the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and this country.

At the end of the negotiations a new draft protocol was initialled by the negotiators on 19 June 2014. The new Protocol covers a period of four years from the date of provisional application – i.e. from the date of its signature and 1 January 2015 at the earliest.

The primary objective of the Protocol to the Agreement is to grant fishing opportunities to EU vessels in the fishing zone of the Republic of Madagascar, in line with the management measures adopted by the relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, namely the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and where relevant, in keeping within the limits of the available surplus.

The general objective is to enhance cooperation between the European Union and Madagascar, thereby creating a partnership framework within which to develop a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fishery resources in the fishing zone of Madagascar, in the interests of both parties.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the total financial envelope allocated to this Protocol amounts to EUR 6.602 million from 2015 to 2018, including administrative management costs and human resources.

The annual financial contribution:

EUR 1 566 250 for each of the first two years

EUR 1 487 500 for each of the following two years

Based on:

•a reference tonnage of 15 750 tonnes linked to access, for an annual amount of EUR 866 250 for each of the first two years of the Protocol and EUR 787 500 for each of the following two years;

•support for the development of the sectorial fisheries policy of Madagascar, amounting to EUR 700 000 per year. This support meets the objectives of the national fisheries policy and in particular the needs of the Republic of Madagascar in the fight against illegal fishing.

In the event of the annual amount of catches of the species referred to the Protocol exceeds the reference tonnage of 15 750 tonnes, the amount of the annual financial contribution shall be increased by EUR 55 during the first two years of the Protocol, and EUR 50 during the last two years for each additional tonne caught.

However, the annual amount paid by the European Union in respect of access to Madagascar’s fishing zone shall not be more than twice the amount of the tonnage reference for the corresponding year. If the amounts caught by European Union vessels in Madagascar’s fishing zone exceed a quantity corresponding to twice that total annual amount, the amount due in respect of the quantity exceeding that limit shall be paid the following year.

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Odbor za proračune poziva Odbor za ribarstvo da kao nadležni odbor preporuči davanje suglasnosti za nacrt odluke Vijeća o sklapanju, u ime Europske unije, Protokola o utvrđivanju ribolovnih mogućnosti i financijskog doprinosa predviđenih Sporazumom o partnerstvu u ribarstvu između Europske zajednice i Republike Madagaskara.

REZULTAT KONAČNOG GLASOVANJA U ODBORU

Datum usvajanja	6.5.2015
Rezultat konačnog glasovanja	+: –: 0:	31 1 2
Zastupnici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	Jean Arthuis, Lefteris Christoforou, Jean-Paul Denanot, Gérard Deprez, José Manuel Fernandes, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Jens Geier, Ingeborg Gräßle, Iris Hoffmann, Monika Hohlmeier, Carlos Iturgaiz, Bernd Kölmel, Vladimír Maňka, Ernest Maragall, Siegfried Mureșan, Victor Negrescu, Liadh Ní Riada, Jan Olbrycht, Paul Rübig, Patricija Šulin, Eleftherios Synadinos, Paul Tang, Indrek Tarand, Inese Vaidere, Marco Valli, Monika Vana, Daniele Viotti, Marco Zanni
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	Andrey Novakov, Claudia Tapardel, Miguel Urbán Crespo, Anders Primdahl Vistisen, Tomáš Zdechovský
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju prema čl. 200. st. 2.	Emilian Pavel

REZULTAT KONAČNOG GLASOVANJA U ODBORU

Datum usvajanja	17.6.2015
Rezultat konačnog glasovanja	+: –: 0:	17 1 0
Zastupnici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	Clara Eugenia Aguilera García, Renata Briano, Alain Cadec, Richard Corbett, Diane Dodds, Linnéa Engström, João Ferreira, Raymond Finch, Ian Hudghton, Carlos Iturgaiz, Werner Kuhn, António Marinho e Pinto, Gabriel Mato, Ulrike Rodust, Remo Sernagiotto, Peter van Dalen, Jarosław Wałęsa
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju	José Blanco López, Marek Józef Gróbarczyk, Francisco José Millán Mon
Zamjenici nazočni na konačnom glasovanju prema čl. 200. st. 2.	Tim Aker