Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 15 April 2013 - Strasbourg

19. Unsustainable mackerel fishing in the North East Atlantic (debate)

  Presidente. − L'ordine del giorno reca la discussione sull'interrogazione con richiesta di risposta orale alla Commissione sull'attuazione del regolamento (UE) n. 1026/2012 per quanto concerne la pesca non sostenibile dello sgombro nell'Atlantico nord-orientale, presentata da Pat the Cope Gallagher e Gabriel Mato Adrover, a nome della commissione per la pesca (O-000023/2013/2013 - B7-0114/2013) (2013/2575(RSP)).

  Pat the Cope Gallagher, author. − On behalf of the Committee on Fisheries, I want to state that the present situation as regards the unjustified and irresponsible autonomous mackerel quotas of 282 000 tonnes set by both Iceland and the Faroe Islands for 2013 is totally unacceptable. This reckless behaviour is putting at risk in the medium to long-term a very healthy mackerel stock and the livelihoods of the pelagic sector.

It is now twelve months since the Marine Stewardship Council suspended the accreditation of mackerel in this region, and if the mackerel stock collapses due to the actions of both Iceland and the Faroe Islands, this would have a devastating effect on the entire EU pelagic sector.

We should have learned from the overfished stock of blue whiting by the same parties, and this has clearly shown what can happen when no action is taken.

Iceland’s share of mackerel in the north-east Atlantic was 1% in 2006 and now stands at almost 23% this year. That of the Faroe Islands has increased from 4.6% to 29.3% in the last four years. In quantity terms, Iceland has increased its share thirty-fold and the Faroe Islands six-fold over the same period.

These are staggering figures, with Iceland and the Faroe Islands now taking 52% of that provided scientifically. This shows very clearly that both countries are participating in unsustainable fishing practices, contrary to Regulation No 1026 of 2012. To make matters worse, the Faroe Islands have this year stepped outside the five coastal state management arrangements on Atlanto-Scandian, setting a quota of 105 000 tonnes – three times what was agreed within the management plan.

I am now calling on the Commissioner to act now on the very strong mandate given to her and not to ignore any further the mandate that had been given to her by the majority, or practically all, of this Parliament. And as rapporteur, Commissioner, I am calling on you to act immediately. The time for talking is over. We have got to see action, and action must be taken to save this industry.

In light of what I have said and the specific requirements laid down in the framework regulation, I find it very difficult to understand why the Commission and the Commissioner continue to ignore the views of the vast majority of this House. Surely, Commissioner, you must see that this overfishing is going to result in serious devastation for the industry?

There have been at least twelve rounds of negotiations, with neither party coming to the table with any realistic proposals. They will now continue to do so unless immediate action is taken. I cannot totally blame the Faroe Islands and Iceland, but I lay the blame at the door of the Commission.

I also cannot accept that the EU needs to prove that it has sustainably fished mackerel stocks before the Commission can implement such sanctions. This was stated by you, Commissioner, at the meeting of the Commission on Fisheries on 19 October last.

The same cannot be said for Iceland and the Faroe Islands, as they have both increased their share by massive quantities.

The Commission has also introduced very tough measures internally, within the Union, and I support that. I am thinking in particular of the measures against Spain, which prove that the EU is fishing in a sustainable manner. This is a point which the Chair of the Committee on Fisheries, Gabriel Mato Adrover, asked me to make in his absence.

It is worth noting that if both Iceland and the Faroe Islands were acting responsibly and fishing in a sustainable manner, instead of having a 15% reduction on the scientific advice, we would have a 25% reduction in the TAC.

I would conclude by saying that the Commissioner has been at the forefront of advocating sustainable stocks and fishing at maximum sustainable levels, and we all support that. But that has not been reflected in the decisions that are not being taken by the Commission.

I fail to see why you have not acted to date to implement effective and appropriate trade measures to deter such blatant, unsustainable fishing practices. I believe action is needed now, not words. You have been given a strong mandate, Commissioner, but you are ignoring the mandate of this House.

I am losing confidence. I am concerned about the future and about the reform of the common fisheries policy, and I would sincerely hope that you will have some good news for us tonight and will tell us that you are now going to reflect the views of this Parliament by taking the necessary action.

  Maria Damanaki, Member of the Commission. − Madam President, I would like to thank Mr Gallagher for raising this issue. It is a really important issue. We have already discussed, in this House, the consequences of overfishing by Iceland and the Faroe Islands on fish stocks and the preservation of these species.

I share concerns over the impact of these actions on our fishermen, and especially the impact of these actions on our local fisheries and local communities. Small-scale vessels and small fishermen have no alternatives, so I agree that for them this is a very difficult situation.

We are following the situation very carefully. We are trying, through many channels, to put pressure on the Icelandic and Faroese Governments to change their policy. We hope that, at the end of the day – although it will take a lot of time – we will be able to come back to negotiations with all coastal governments and reach real agreement on this topic.

Although for the moment this is not the case, we will have to see what we are going to do. To cut a long story short, the option of trade sanctions is, of course, on the table. However, it is important that we carefully consider two very important factors. Firstly, we have to consider carefully what the legal conditions are that we have to meet. Secondly, we have to think carefully about the timing of our actions.

Regarding mackerel, we are now discussing the possible options with the Member States. Next week I will meet the Norwegian Minister in Brussels, and I hope that we can come to a common decision. We would like to have a common decision with the Norwegian government on this. However, I should say that the Commission has already looked into the procedural aspects with the aim of accelerating the decision-making process if and when we go forward. So, if we decide to go forward, we have already made all the preparations for accelerating the procedure. I would like to assure Members that we will keep everyone interested in this issue informed, starting from next week, when we finalise the discussions with the Norwegian government.

Regarding Atlanto-Scandian herring, the landscape here is rather clearer – unfortunately, I would say. The Commission regrets the announcement made on 26 March 2013 by the Faroe Islands that they intend unilaterally to more than triple their quota.

  Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa, w imieniu grupy PPE. – Dziękuję Pani Przewodniczącej! Szanowna Pani Komisarz! Bardzo się cieszę, że możemy dzisiaj porozmawiać o islandzkim rybołówstwie, którego niektóre elementy od pewnego czasu są kością niezgody w stosunkach z Unią Europejską. Jednostronne ustalanie przez Islandię możliwości połowowych makreli jest nadzwyczajnie nierozsądne i niezgodne z duchem współpracy, który jest podstawą funkcjonowania Unii Europejskiej. Takie nieodpowiedzialne zachowanie może spowodować wielkie problemy ze stadem w bardzo niedalekiej przyszłości. Jeśli te nowe limity zostaną wykorzystane przez Islandię, przekroczy to zalecany przez Międzynarodową Radę Badań Morza (ICES) poziom połowów tych ryb o 35%. W perspektywie będzie to wówczas jednoznaczne z zagrożeniem gatunku. W związku z tym uważam, że kwestia takiego postępowania Islandii powinna zostać poruszona w toku negocjacji akcesyjnych.

Należy pamiętać o tym, że Unia Europejska posiada narzędzia, które pozwalają na zastosowanie sankcji w przypadku nieodpowiedzialnego zarządzania wspólnymi stadami. Czas, aby Islandia uświadomiła sobie, że wszystkich – zarówno państwa kandydujące, jak i państwa członkowskie – obowiązują podobne zasady gry. Szczególnie teraz istnieje wielka potrzeba współpracy, wykazania dobrej woli i chęci w perspektywie obowiązującego zastosowania unijnych rozwiązań.

  Isabelle Thomas, au nom du groupe S&D. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, les efforts consentis par les pêcheurs européens sur les maquereaux pendant de nombreuses années peuvent être qualifiés d'exemplaires. Tant et si bien que, dès 2006, on a pu noter que les stocks de maquereaux retrouvaient des niveaux historiquement hauts.

Malheureusement, les fruits de ces efforts n'auront pas profité à ceux qui les ont consentis. Car, dès que la biomasse de cette espèce a commencé à grimper, nous avons assisté à une véritable ruée des pêcheurs islandais et féroïens sur les maquereaux. Les conséquences écologiques sur la biomasse, de même que la baisse des quotas européens, ne se sont pas fait attendre et la situation économique des pêcheurs de l'Union est aujourd'hui compromise.

Tout le secteur pélagique européen est concerné. En France, pas moins de 1 200 navires ciblent le maquereau ou le pêchent de manière accessoire. Probablement autant en Irlande et au Royaume-Uni. Parmi eux, beaucoup de pêcheurs artisans. Réduire les quotas de captures accessoires impactera fatalement toutes leurs captures avec une obligation imminente du débarquement des rejets qui rendra la situation extrêmement tendue.

Si l'Islande et les Îles Féroé persistent à ignorer l'état de la biomasse, les pêcheurs de l'Union deviendront la variable d'ajustement de l'atteinte du RMD auquel ils seront les seuls à contribuer.

Il ne s'agit donc plus de suivre la situation de près, Madame la Commissaire, ni de se contenter de communiquer. Il est urgent que les institutions européennes jouent leur rôle de régulateur et que ces comportements, irresponsables sur les plans écologique et économique, soient sanctionnés.

En premier lieu, ne peut-on envisager d'inscrire ces États sur la liste de ceux qui ne respectent pas la pêche durable? En second lieu, puisque nous avons des accords de pêche privilégiés avec ces acteurs, n'y a-t-il pas, ici, motif à les remettre en cause de manière globale?

  Ian Hudghton, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, it is rather frustrating for all of us, I am sure, to be here discussing the same subject again, and with such little progress made – at least concerning mackerel, which is a very important and economically valuable stock to Scotland. It is frustrating because CFP regulation and the European Commission seem all-powerful when it comes to regulating our fishermen and their activities. It is restrictive and inflexible, and it is extremely difficult to operate within it successfully. Yet all that power that it has over us domestically apparently has little effect when it comes to seeking help with resolving this dispute.

The Fisheries Minster of Scotland, as you will be aware, has suggested that an international mediator could be appointed to broker an agreement on this difficult question, ending the dispute (hopefully) in a neutral and objective way. I would like to think that the Commissioner has not left that possibility off the table, since we seem to be making little progress with the instruments which have been used so far.

  Julie Girling, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, in the UK (and I am sure in other Member States too), consumers increasingly want to purchase and eat fish which has been caught from sustainable stocks. They rely on certification schemes to inform this choice. Plentiful and nutritious mackerel caught in the North-East Atlantic had received approval under the Marine Conservation Scheme and was beginning to feature very widely on menus, both privately and in restaurants. This has all come to an abrupt halt following the unilateral actions of Iceland and the Faroe Islands. So things are getting tougher for the UK pelagic fleet, and this will probably worsen further when frozen stocks run out. No-one is suggesting the collapse of the stock yet, but with no agreement in sight this will happen eventually.

What we do have already is a collapse in price, meaning that European fishermen who have behaved well and followed the rules are getting half the returns they were getting two years ago. So I join my colleagues in asking the glaringly obvious questions: why has the Commission not secured a viable deal with the Faroes and Iceland? In the absence of such a deal, when will the Commission use the powers granted by Parliament six months ago – not last week, but six months ago – and take action to bring about a change in behaviour? Finally, what steps is the Commission taking to revive the Coastal States Agreement?

  Antolín Sánchez Presedo (S&D). - Señora Presidenta, de lo que se trata es del cumplimiento de las normas internacionales. La Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar y el Acuerdo sobre las poblaciones de peces transzonales y las poblaciones de peces altamente migratorios establecen claramente la necesidad de una cooperación muy estrecha entre todos los Estados miembros ribereños y los que realizan la pesca.

Así lo vinieron realizando en lo que se refiere a la caballa del Atlántico nororiental la Unión Europea, Noruega, las Islas Feroe e Islandia, y lo que ocurre desde el año 2010 —como ha explicado claramente el señor Gallagher— es que en las Islas Feroe, desde 2006, se han multiplicado por cinco las capturas y en Islandia por 23.

En total, se está perjudicando la sostenibilidad de estos recursos sin tener en cuenta los modos de pesca existentes, los derechos y los intereses de otros países y de la Unión Europea. Esto está generando un gran malestar dentro del sector y es necesario reaccionar, en primer lugar, para restablecer una cultura de cumplimiento y de existencia de reglas y, además, porque, en caso contrario, se va a cuestionar el reparto de las cuotas internas, las medidas de gestión que están adoptando los Estados miembros e incluso la propia credibilidad de las medidas de control que se están realizando.

Por lo tanto, hay que restablecer el terreno de juego, hay que reaccionar. Yo respaldo claramente a la Comisaria en su voluntad de conseguir llegar a soluciones. Me parece muy razonable que lo trate de hacer por la vía del diálogo, pero creo que también debe tener en cuenta la necesidad de adoptar medidas en caso de que no prospere y establecer claramente un periodo de tiempo al efecto.

  Alain Cadec (PPE). - Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, je veux vous faire part de ma grande déception à plusieurs égards, sur ce dossier de la répartition des quotas de maquereaux entre États côtiers.

Ce conflit entre l'Union européenne, l'Islande et les Îles Féroé met à mal un accord de longue date entre États ayant des intérêts communs et qui permettait la gestion durable des ressources. L'augmentation unilatérale et irresponsable des quotas de la part des Îles Féroé et de l'Islande mène à une exploitation non durable du maquereau dans la zone.

Les quotas irréalistes de maquereaux qu'exigent l'Islande et les Îles Féroé sont excessivement élevés par rapport à leurs antériorités. Comme vient de le dire notre collègue Sánchez Presedo, les Îles Féroé ont quintuplé leur quota entre 2009 et 2012, et l'Islande a multiplié son quota de 2006 par 23. C'est totalement insensé et injustifié.

Nous devons préserver les intérêts environnementaux, économiques et commerciaux de tous les acteurs concernés. Il est primordial de reprendre les négociations. C'est le développement durable de nos océans qui est en jeu. Au sein de l'Union européenne, les professionnels acceptent des règles et des quotas stricts. L'Union européenne sait mettre tout en œuvre pour la préservation des ressources halieutiques dans ces eaux. Mais que fait l'Union dans le cadre des stocks partagés avec d'autres pays?

Le règlement de 2012 sur la pêche non durable permet d'imposer des sanctions aux États qui ne coopèrent pas à la gestion d'un stock commun et appliquent des mesures de gestion non durable. Ce règlement permet notamment la restriction des importations de poissons. Qu'attend la Commission pour adopter des sanctions? Cela permettra certainement le retour à la raison de l'Islande et des Îles Féroé.

Par ailleurs, ce n'est pas en persévérant dans cette attitude provocatrice que l'Islande se rapproche d'une entrée dans l'Union européenne.

Interventi su richiesta

  Maria do Céu Patrão Neves (PPE). - Senhora Presidente, Senhora Comissária, a situação que hoje aqui debatemos é grave. Trata-se de uma tomada de decisão unilateral, por parte da Islândia e das Ilhas Faroé, sobre as quotas de pesca da cavala, com fortes impactos negativos ao nível económico e ambiental para todos os países que praticam a pesca deste recurso. Esta situação tem-se vindo a agravar com a persistência em decisões unilaterais e com o aumento das quotas auto atribuídas, numa atitude cada vez mais irresponsável a que tem de ser colocado cobro urgentemente por meios proporcionados e eficazes.

Não temos, porém, conhecimento de iniciativas da Comissão que visem dissuadir e sancionar este reiterado comportamento inaceitável. Ora, quando internamente verificamos que esta Comissão tem usado de excesso de zelo - querendo ser mais ambientalista e mais restritiva da pesca que outros - por vezes com prejuízo para a frota europeia, então a Comissão deveria ser coerente com os seus padrões internos de atuação propondo a exigência da sustentabilidade pelos meios adequados também externamente.

Espero que, para além de a Comissão nos explicar concretamente o que está a fazer em relação a esta matéria e quais os resultados obtidos, este debate seja um incentivo decisivo para a resolução efetiva deste grave problema.

  Rareş-Lucian Niculescu (PPE). - Doresc să salut această luare de poziţie a Parlamentului şi să mă alătur colegilor care au subliniat importanţa unei atitudini ferme a Uniunii în apărarea intereselor sale în domeniul pescuitului. Din păcate, situaţia la care face referire dezbaterea de astăzi este departe de a fi una singulară, aceeaşi fermitate este necesară şi în cazul pescuitului în Marea Neagră, mare în care gestionarea activităţilor de pescuit este dificilă din cauza faptului că numai două din cele şase ţări care au ieşire la acest bazin sunt state membre ale Uniunii. Dialogul cu aceste state din afara Uniunii ar trebui să fie mai activ şi mai ferm, acest dialog şi rezultatele sale nu sunt motive de satisfacţie.

Nu pot să închei fără a semnala un studiu recent publicat, potrivit căruia China pescuieşte de 12 ori mai mult peşte decât declară la Organizaţia Naţiunilor Unite. Faptul că cel mai mult peşte este capturat în apele din jurul continentului african nu este o consolare pentru Europa. Degeaba ne propunem să exploatăm mările şi oceanele într-un mod sănătos, dacă alte state nu sunt animate de aceleaşi intenţii şi dispuse la aceleaşi sacrificii.

  Lambert van Nistelrooij (PPE). - Voorzitter, commissaris Damanaki, het was toch heel kort geleden dat wij hier stonden met het debat over het nieuwe visserijbeleid, dat duurzaam moet zijn en aan de andere kant ook rekening moet houden met het inkomen van de vissers. Nu loopt het echter toch uit de hand met deze twee landen, IJsland en de Faeröer. Hoe kunnen wij dat uitleggen aan onze eigen mensen, de makreelvissers, ook in Nederland? De prijzen zakken gewoon in. U vervult daarin die centrale rol en ik wil toch eigenlijk graag vragen hoe ver u bent met die stappen? U kondigt ze net aan.

Ten tweede, wij zijn in de EU een gemeenschap van waarden. Afspraak is afspraak en dat geldt ook voor IJsland. IJsland treft voorbereidingen om in de Unie mee te gaan doen. Men moet begrijpen en ook merken dat dit zo niet kan.

  Catherine Stihler (S&D). - Madam President, I would just like to add to what Mr van Nistelrooij was saying. Will the Commission consider the proposal, which Mr Hudghton outlined, about an international mediator? I think this is one of the considerations we need to look into.

Secondly, as others have highlighted, the current negotiations on Iceland’s membership of the European Union are continuing. As the Commissioner is well aware, the Icelandic elections are being held next week. Does she think that, once the elections have been concluded, there may be an opportunity to promote progress on this matter? Iceland has still to touch upon the issue of fisheries in its application process, and perhaps this is an opportunity to try to resolve this very urgent matter. I think that, as most colleagues have outlined, the situation we are in is unsustainable, and we have to see action.

  Chris Davies (ALDE). - Madam President, Ms Stihler has made a very valid point. Iceland has a noble reputation for trying to fish sustainably. That reputation is at risk of being damaged irreparably as a result of this dispute over mackerel.

I would welcome Iceland joining the European Union, but we also know that those negotiations are delicate. With elections coming, it is not for me to ask the Commissioner specifically whether she is under any pressure with regard to this matter. However, I would like to reinforce the point and ask Ms Stihler if she believes that, if we are not able to continue negotiations to secure a sustainable fishing agreement between the European Union and Iceland, that there would be any risk for those negotiations? Is she under – no, I will not push that. Thank you.

(Fine degli interventi su richiesta)

  Maria Damanaki, Member of the Commission. − Madam President, the Commission does not want to interfere in Iceland’s electoral campaign. This is something I would like to stress right from the beginning. Let me now focus on the questions. I would like to thank you all for your speeches. I would like to reiterate that we are doing a great deal in order to put pressure on Iceland and the Faroe Islands to come back to the table and to go for an agreement with regard to both the stocks – mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring. We are trying for both the stocks.

What means are we using? Dialogue, bilateral agreements and trying to raise this issue in international forums, whenever and wherever we can. We do not exclude any proposal from the table. We have received a proposal for a possible mediator, although we have to bear in mind that, in order to go for this, everybody has to agree that we will afterwards accept the outcome of this mediation. This means that we have to persuade everybody to agree. This will not be easy, but we are not excluding anything.

But I have understood that you – almost all of you and all the speakers – have stressed the need to go ahead with implementing the new regulation on trade sanctions. I have taken the message on board, although I would like to repeat that we have to be careful. We have to go for a complete legal basis; we need to keep in mind the timing, and we need allies.

That is why, regarding mackerel, I have said to you that I am going to discuss this issue again with the Norwegian Minister next week. I am going to meet her on Wednesday, and afterwards I will inform all of you of the decision taken. We really need to have the Norwegians with us on this, otherwise the result will not be the best that we can get.

With regard to the Atlanto-Scandian herring, however, I have said very clearly to you that we think that the landscape is clearer here. I have therefore given the green light to open the procedure internally and to implement the trade instrument for trade sanctions against the Faroe Islands in this matter, following their departure from the negotiating table.

  Presidente. − La discussione è chiusa.

Dichiarazioni scritte (articolo 149)

  Cristian Dan Preda (PPE), în scris. – În calitatea mea de raportor permanent al Parlamentului European pentru aderarea Islandei la UE, îmi doresc - întâi de toate - să subliniez faptul că această ţară este un candidat remarcabil, care a deschis deja 27 din cele 33 de capitole de negociere şi a închis provizoriu 11. În ultimul raport de progres, votat de Comisia pentru afaceri externe pe 19 februarie, am abordat și chestiunea pescuitului de macrou, exprimând regretul că întâlnirile părților implicate în această dispută nu au reușit să ajungă la un acord. Pe de altă parte, am încurajat toate statele implicate să continue negocierile, cu convingerea că se va ajunge la o soluție consensuală, bazată pe propuneri realiste, care să respecte drepturile istorice, ca şi propunerile Consiliului Internațional pentru Explorarea Mării. Îmi manifest, la final, speranța că negocierile cu Islanda vor continua în ritmul de până acum şi că va fi deschis în curând capitolul referitor la pescuit, astfel încât să putem aborda toate subiectele legate de acest domeniu foarte sensibil.