Crescenzio Rivellini (PPE), in writing. – (IT) Today, at the plenary session in Strasbourg, we voted on the report by Ms Lövin, which proposes strengthening inspections, closing illegal fish markets and sanctions for states that do not comply with the rules in force. I believe that action at international level is necessary, because two thirds of the world’s waters are outside any jurisdiction and fleets of fishing vessels are mobile and often do not respect the rules. In its capacity as a major world fishing power, the EU should take responsibility for mobilising the international community to this end.

It is estimated that around 15% of world catches, between 11 and 26 million tonnes a year, comes from illegal fishing. Therefore, as the resolution claims, it is impossible to defend marine resources unless illegal fishing is tackled. The new measures should include the compulsory registration of fishing vessels over 10 GT, the development of catch documentation schemes, the compulsory use of fishing vessel monitoring systems (VMS), the exchange of information on the activity of ships, importation controls and an agreement on the closure of markets for illegal catches.