The European Parliament adopted by 553 votes to 51, with 11 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/833 laying down conservation and enforcement measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.

Parliament’s position adopted at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure.

The proposed regulation amends Regulation (EU) 2019/833 by transposing into Union law the conservation and enforcement measures adopted at the NAFO annual meeting in September 2022.

The Regulation implements the conservation and enforcement measures adopted at the September 2022 NAFO Annual Meeting with respect to:

- new binding measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview as regards new duties of flag States relating to the submission of research plans, vessel requirements to carry out research activities;

- provisions for trial tows when a vessel enters a fishing Division for the first time;

- provisions for the closure of Division 3M for redfish;

- prohibition of landing, transhipment and retention on board of Greenland shark;

- the cross-listing of vessels carrying out illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from other regional fisheries management organisations.

The Regulation also delegates to the Commission the power to amend Regulation (EU) 2019/833 with regard to Member States' obligations relating to the presentation of research programmes and the requirements that vessels must meet to carry out research activities if NAFO changes these measures in the future.

The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report by Grace O'SULLIVAN (Greens/EFA, IRL) n the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/833 laying down conservation and enforcement measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

On 3 March 2023, the Commission submitted a proposal to amend Regulation (EU) 2019/833 that transposed into EU law the conservation and enforcement measures (CEM) adopted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), to which the European Union (EU) has been a contracting party since 1979. The purpose of this proposal is to transpose into Union law the amendments to the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by NAFO at its 43rd annual meeting in September 2022.

The amended text deletes the reference to the conservation and management measures in the proposal. Given that the conservation and enforcement measures are not fully published in the Official Journal of the European Union, it cannot be fully enforceable, therefore it cannot make restricting conservation and management measures applicable to research vessels in the NAFO Regulatory Area.

PURPOSE: to transpose into Union law the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) at its annual meeting in September 2022.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) is the regional fisheries management organisation responsible for managing fishery resources in the Northwest Atlantic under its purview. NAFO’s conservation and management measures apply exclusively to the NAFO Regulatory Area, the high seas, defined as the area that lies beyond the area where coastal states exercise fisheries jurisdiction. The EU has been a Contracting Party to NAFO since 1979.

The NAFO Convention states that the conservation measures adopted by the NAFO Commission are binding and that the Contracting Parties are required to implement them.

Regulation (EU) 2019/833 of the European Parliament and of the Council implemented into Union law the most updated rules for conservation and enforcement measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO). This Regulation was subsequently amended in order to implement the NAFO measures adopted at its annual meetings in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The NAFO subsequently adopted at its 44th Annual Meeting in September 2022 a number of legally binding measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview. Those measures are addressed to the NAFO Contracting Parties and also contain obligations for operators.

CONTENT: the proposal aims to amend Regulation (EU) 2019/833 by transposing into Union law the conservation and enforcement measures adopted at the NAFO Annual Meeting in September 2022 .

The proposal implements the conservation and enforcement measures adopted at the September 2022 NAFO annual meeting with regard to:

- new obligations for flag Member States to submit research programmes and requirements for vessels to participate in research activities;

- the regulation of the trial haul on first entry into a Division as part of a fishing trip;

- adjustments to redfish closures in Area 3M;

- the prohibition of landing, transhipping and retention on board of Greenland halibut; and

- cross-listing of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) vessels with other regional fisheries management organisations.

The proposal also delegates to the Commission the power to amend Regulation (EU) 2019/833 with regard to Member States' obligations related to the submission of research programmes and requirements for vessels to carry out research activities, should NAFO amend these measures in the future.