Parliament to adopt its position on new EU Fisheries rules
MEPs will debate and define their position for upcoming negotiations on the rules that will govern fishing activities in the EU for the next fifteen years.
One of the most controversial proposals on the Fisheries Control regulation addresses the use of CCTV on board vessels. The Fisheries Committee proposed that the use of such devices should be voluntary and incentivised through measures such as additional fishing quotas, rather than compulsory, as proposed by the Commission.
Parliament is expected to also call for the use of geolocation devices and electronic logbooks to be mandatory for all vessels, as well as for stricter rules to trace fish and aquaculture products throughout the whole food chain to increase transparency for consumers. Members might also propose that checks should be standardised across the EU and a European register of fishing infringements should be set up to monitor the penalty points system more effectively.
The debate will take place on Tuesday afternoon. With the vote on Wednesday, Parliament will be able to start negotiations as soon as the Council is ready to do so.
Background
The Committee on Fisheries adopted its position on 5 February. The regulation, proposed by the European Commission on 30 May 2018, updates five existing regulations in order to harmonise fisheries control and inspection systems across EU countries. The current rules were put in place before the 2013 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CPF).
Procedure: Ordinary legislative procedure (first reading)
Debate: Tuesday, 9 March
Vote and results: Wednesday, 10 March