RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concerning the membership of the Union in the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna

10.11.2015 - (07134/2015 – C8‑0323/2015 – 2015/0036(NLE)) - ***

Committee on Fisheries
Rapporteur: Carlos Iturgaiz

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concerning the membership of the Union in the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna

(07134/2015 – C8‑0323/2015 – 2015/0036(NLE))

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the draft Council decision (07134/2015),

–  having regard to the Exchange of Letters to obtain membership of the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna,

–  having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43(2) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C8-0323/2015),

–  having regard to Rule 99(1), first and third subparagraphs, Rule 99(2), and Rule 108(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Fisheries (A8-0318/2015),

1.  Gives its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement;

2.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

Introduction

The proposal concerns authorisation of the Exchange of Letters between the EU and the Extended Commission of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, (CCSBT). The signing of this instrument of international law will allow the EU to become a full member of the CCSBT Extended Commission, having enjoyed cooperating non-member status since 2006.

The European Union, in accordance with its commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, has been cooperating very actively with all regional fisheries organisations in a bid to contribute to the rational and sustainable management of marine resources and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) are international bodies set up by countries with fishing interests in a given area. Some of them manage all fish stocks found in a specific area, while others concentrate on particular highly-migratory species, notably tuna, over large geographical areas. The organisations are open to countries in the regions concerned ('coastal states') and those with interests in these fishing grounds.

While some RFMOs have a purely advisory role, most of them have management responsibilities with powers relating to the setting of catch and fishing limits, as well as technical aspects and mandatory inspections.

The EU, represented by the Commission, plays an active role in six regional tuna fisheries management organisations.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) is the most important as far as the EU is concerned, being responsible for the conservation of tuna and similar species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas. The organisation was established at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries that drew up and adopted the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1966. Following ratification, the agreement entered into force in 1969.

The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) is a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) responsible for the management of Southern Bluefin Tuna wherever it is to be found. The Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna entered into force on 20 May 1994.

The European Union has been a cooperating non-member of the CCSBT Extended Commission since 2006.

Cooperating non-members participate fully in the activities of the CCSBT but are not entitled to vote. They are also required to comply with CCSBT management and conservation measures.

SBF catches by EU fleets are the result of limited by-catches by longline fishing vessels targeting tuna, chiefly in the area covered by the Agreement for the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Since 2006, the EU has been allocated an annual quota of 10 tonnes of SBF for by-catches in the CCSBT area.

The CCSBT Convention is only open to individual countries, thereby excluding regional economic integration organisations (REIOs) such as the EU.

During its 20th meeting in October 2013, the CCSBT amended the Resolution governing the Extended Commission to allow REIOs that so wished to become members (as opposed to cooperating non-members, the only option hitherto available) through the Exchange of Letters procedure in which the applicant is required to give the CCSBT a firm commitment to respect the terms of the Convention and comply with decisions of the CCSBT Extended Commission.

The Council has accordingly submitted its proposal for a decision with a view to participating fully in the work of the CCSBT. The rapporteur can only approve of such a proposal and accordingly requests the committee's endorsement.

RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Date adopted	15.7.2015
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	20 2 1
Members present for the final vote	Clara Eugenia Aguilera García, Renata Briano, Alain Cadec, Richard Corbett, Diane Dodds, Linnéa Engström, Raymond Finch, Ian Hudghton, Carlos Iturgaiz, Werner Kuhn, António Marinho e Pinto, Gabriel Mato, Norica Nicolai, Liadh Ní Riada, Ulrike Rodust, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Isabelle Thomas, Ruža Tomašić, Peter van Dalen, Jarosław Wałęsa
Substitutes present for the final vote	Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Marek Józef Gróbarczyk, Anja Hazekamp, Verónica Lope Fontagné, Francisco José Millán Mon, Lidia Senra Rodríguez
Substitutes under Rule 200(2) present for the final vote	Isabella Adinolfi