In a landmark vote in Strasbourg a large majority of MEPs from all parties and Member States supported a number of measures which aim to ensure that the revised Common Fisheries Policy will allow fish stocks to rebuild and recover. This will lay the ground for the coming trialogue negotiations, which will likely conclude in June. A summary of measures the European Parliament plenary voted through can be found at the end of the article.
MEPs representing the Baltic countries were overwhelmingly in favour of the sustainable CFP reform proposals put forward by the Fisheries Committee and Ulrike Rodust (S&D, DE). 187 of the 223 regional representatives supported the final report, while only 17 or 7.6% of the electorate were against.
France and Portugal were the only countries for whom a majority of MEPs voted against the final report, indicative of these countries role as some of the most anti-reform countries in the Council. Even in Spain though, whose fisheries ministry has been seen as an obstacle to a sustainable Common Fisheries Policy, 28 MEPs voted in favour of the Rodust report whereas 23 were against. Moreover, Irish MEPs were unanimous, with all 11 voters in support.
Trialogue negotiations are expected to begin in March, after the Irish Presidency has secured a mandate from fellow Member States in next Council meeting and the ongoing COREPER meetings.
Trialogue negotiations are between the three main institutions of the EU, the Council (represented by the Irish Presidency under Minister Simon Coveney), Parliament (by the rapporteur Ulrike Rodust) and Commission (by Maria Damanaki). Although a range of officials and spokespeople will at times lead the discussions, they will be driven by these three individuals who will be negotiating under the mandate provided to them by their respective institutional bodies.
With a significant majority of MEPs from the entire Parliament, as well as the support of 25 of the 27 national delegations in favour of adopting the report, Rodust will have an extremely strong negotiating hand when discussions begin next month.
The Commission proposals were also closer to those adopted by the EP than those in the Council’s General Approach. Commissioner Damanaki spoke in support of the decisions taken at plenary, stating that the Parliament had endorsed “the approach put forward by the Commission”, and thus it seems the Council will have further to move for a compromise resolution to be reached at the coming trialogue.
A summary of what the European Parliament plenary voted through:
– Shall ensure Fmsy by 2015 (as opposed to shall aim to ensure by 2015 and not later than 2020) (AM60)
– Objective ABOVE Bmsy 2020 (AM60)
– Member States required to assess overcapacity and to eliminate overcapacity (AM 108, 138)
– Fishing sector can contribute to costs of data collection and control (AM 196)
– MS shall have effective sanctions, including freezing of funds (AM 195)
– Text on Good environmental status and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (AM 235)
– Improved definition of ecosystem-based management (AM 237)
– Strengthened discard ban (deletion of de-minimis rule) (AM 199 split vote 8)
– Finance to Member States transparent and conditional upon compliance fisheries and environmental legislation (AM 264 & 302)
– MANDATORY access criteria providing preferential access for more sustainable operators (AM 227)