71 Amendments of Cláudia MONTEIRO DE AGUIAR related to 2021/2169(INI)
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas Article 39 of the TFEU requires that the CFP, in all its areas, and notably the conservation of marine biological resources, must among others, ensure a fair standard of living for the fishing community and assure availability of supplies (food security); whereas Article 11 TFEU also stipulates that “environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Union's policies and activities, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development”;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas achieving conservation of exploited stocks and the environmental objectives of the CFP at large would not be sufficient to conclude that the CFP has succeeded;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas the CFP must also contribute to the supply of sustainable food to the Union market and to reducing the Union market's dependence on food imports;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
A d. whereas food security is one of the Sustainable Development Goals; whereas fish protein has an extraordinary strategic value, essential for food security; whereas capture fisheries are among the lowest impact systems for the production of animal protein;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
A e. whereas the need to produce more food from the oceans is identified by the European Commission as a strategic objective; whereas a report by the High Level Scientific Group in 2017, appointed by the then Commissioner Karmenu Vella, recommends to “mainstream a ‘food from the ocean’ paradigm of responsible culture and capture into broad EU and global systems-level policy agendas”;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
A f. whereas the role of aquatic food producers and related industries is vital for the society and for the communities they support1a; _________________ 1a See EP Resolution on "Fishers for the future: attracting a new generation of workers to the fishing industry and generating employment in coastal communities” (P9_TA(2021)0386)
Amendment 40 #
A g. whereas the objectives of ensuring food supply from EU fisheries and of assuring a fair standard of living need to be more present in decision making;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
A h. whereas public perception of the fishing sector is often still described through negative stereotypes about fishing activity on marine life, despite the sector’s efforts, successes and continued willingness to improve fisheries sustainability; whereas this eventually produces important impacts on coastal communities, notably by negatively influencing seafood consumption pattern and job attractiveness in an EU fishing sector also facing a huge challenge in generational renewal;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A j (new)
Recital A j (new)
A j. whereas the introduction of an MSY-based objective in the 2013 CFP reform led to a significant challenge for the fixing of fishing possibilities;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A k (new)
Recital A k (new)
A k. whereas the progressive implementation of the MSY objective “for all stocks by 2020 at the latest” led to numerous difficulties and needed for practical adaptation by all actors, including at first for the provision of appropriate scientific advice;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A m (new)
Recital A m (new)
A m. whereas, when adopting successive regional multiannual plans as from in 2016, the European Parliament and the Council decided to require the use of MSY-based fishing mortality levels for the main target stocks only; Whereas these plans also provide for some additional and necessary flexibility in these mortality reference levels, notably to take into account of the interactions between stocks and fisheries (choke species effects); whereas, in the multiannual plan for the Western Mediterranean, the legislator decided furthermore to postpone to 2025 the deadline for application of MSY-based fishing mortality levels;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A n (new)
Recital A n (new)
A n. whereas the 2013 CFP review led to a major paradigm shift in decades of fisheries management, by requiring all catches, particularly those of species out of quotas or of undersized fish, to be kept on board vessels and landed; whereas however this tool designed to contribute to the implementation of the objective of the progressive elimination of discards of unwanted catches in fisheries, seems to have become an objective in itself;
Amendment 72 #
A o. whereas the landing obligation makes many mixed fisheries unprofitable, notably because fishers have to sort-out and store low-value or non-marketable fish on-board, increasing labour, reducing resting time and storage space on-board; whereas the landing obligation risks furthermore resulting to under- utilisation of rightful fishing opportunities for some stocks, since vessels have to stop any fishing activity once their quota for one stock (choke species) has been exhausted;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A p (new)
Recital A p (new)
A p. whereas the level of unwanted catches is very variable in different fisheries; whereas the implementation of the various flexibilities foreseen in Article 15 of the CFP Basic Regulation has led to numerous, complex, ever changing and incontrollable sets of derogations to the landing obligation;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A q (new)
Recital A q (new)
A q. whereas, despite technological and legislative progress, the current policy has failed to eliminate discards; whereas under the current EU quota distribution context and externalities such as climate change discarding will, inevitably, continue to occur;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A r (new)
Recital A r (new)
A r. whereas the most successful policies towards reduction and elimination of discarding around the world have been implemented through gradual approaches, where the policy has evolved by learning from experience;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A t (new)
Recital A t (new)
A t. whereas the CFP tools that can help to improve the attractiveness of the fishing and aquaculture as a profession are insufficient; whereas the EU budget, particularly the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), does not provide adequate financial support for the improvement of safety and working conditions or energy efficiency; whereas the restrictions on fishing capacity, as well as the scarce margins that some Member States dispose within their national ceilings, do not allow for the improvement of safety, working and living conditions on board fishing vessels; whereas new carbon-free propulsion systems require more space on-board compared to traditional engines and fuel tanks;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A u (new)
Recital A u (new)
A u. whereas the CFP Basic Regulation provides that multiannual plans (MAPs) must be adopted as a priority; whereas this approach has undoubtedly contributed to better management of the resources and to a relative certainty for the sectors;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A v (new)
Recital A v (new)
A v. whereas certain stocks straddle over sea-areas covered under the scope of different regional MAPs, hence the need for consistent measures across their whole distribution range;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A x (new)
Recital A x (new)
A x. whereas fisheries is an extremely technical domain necessitating highly specialised staff; whereas, yet, the tendency is in reduction in personnel despite the need for more EU action in numerous domains;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A y (new)
Recital A y (new)
A y. whereas regionalisation offers a unique opportunity to avoid micro- management from Brussels and to adapt the decision making process to regional and local specificities, traditional structures (such as “cofradias”) and particular activities (such as fishing on foot and shellfish gathering);
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A z (new)
Recital A z (new)
A z. whereas early and effective consultation and involvement of the sectors concerned is fundamental for good, workable, fair, well-accepted and successful legislation, and its implementation and compliance to; whereas, in this context, the role of Advisory Councils (ACs) is vital and their advice is of crucial importance in the decision making process;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A aa (new)
Recital A aa (new)
A aa. whereas ACs have the potential to evolve to pivotal bodies in results-based management or co-management;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ab (new)
Recital A ab (new)
A ab. whereas science, fishermen’s experience and full impact assessments guarantee an objective basis for decision- making; whereas decisions based on the above are more robust and more easily accepted by the sectors;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ae (new)
Recital A ae (new)
A ae. whereas fisheries and aquaculture are relatively small economic sectors, however they are strategic ones for their socio-economic and food security role, as demonstrated during the Covid pandemic and the recent international geopolitical developments;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A af (new)
Recital A af (new)
A af. whereas combatting IUU helps ensuring a level playing field for fair competition between the EU and certain foreign fleets with low social and environmental standards that sell their products in the EU market and thus negatively affect the competitiveness of EU producers; whereas, however, an anti- IUU legislation alone cannot ensure a level-playing field;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ag (new)
Recital A ag (new)
A ag. whereas more the EU adopts stringent measures for EU operators, more it becomes dependent on imported seafood;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ah (new)
Recital A ah (new)
A ah. whereas, furthermore, this inevitably increases pressure on resources in third countries having poor management and governance systems, which, in turn, provokes negative effects to the environment and to social sustainability at global level;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ai (new)
Recital A ai (new)
A ai. whereas defending and promoting the EU sustainability model is perfectly compatible, and should go hand in hand, with the defence of the EU sectors’ interests;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A aj (new)
Recital A aj (new)
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ak (new)
Recital A ak (new)
A ak. whereas artisanal fishing in the ORs is a major economic driver, a source of food sovereignty and a traditional activity which is part of the culture of these territories, which creates jobs at sea and in the processing sector and contributes to the dynamism of the tourist industry, real economic engine of these regions;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A al (new)
Recital A al (new)
A al. whereas, in order to ensure the survival of the fisheries sector in the ORs and in compliance with the principles of differential treatment for small islands and territories mentioned in Sustainable Development Goal 14, it should be possible to support, on the basis of Article 349 TFEU, the renewal of the ORs’ artisanal fishing vessels which land all their catches in ports in the ORs and contribute to local sustainable development;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A am (new)
Recital A am (new)
A am. whereas the indicators to establish whether the fishing capacity is in balance with the available fishing opportunities are not adapted to the characteristics of the ORs’ local fleets;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A an (new)
Recital A an (new)
A an. whereas climate change is a major challenge for the conservation of aquatic resources and for the future livelihoods of operators who depend on fisheries;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ao (new)
Recital A ao (new)
A ao. whereas the Union must deliver on the Paris Agreement goals against climate change, while creating jobs and sustainable growth and in a manner that does not threaten food production and food security;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A ap (new)
Recital A ap (new)
A ap. whereas fishers are victims of climate change;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Considers that more progress and stepping up the ambition is needed in order to meet the CFP’s socio-economic and food security sustainability objectives in full;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the strategic role of fishers and aquaculture producers in the food value chain and in food security;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. While several challenges remain for the CFP to be fully implemented, new unprecedented challenges have arisen that could not predicted in 2012, when the CFP was being designed; emphasises that the cumulative effects of this situation have led the sectors in the brink of collapse (Commission Communication on “Towards more sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2023: “about 40% of the small-scale fleet, 66% of the large-scale fleet and 87% of the distant-water fleet would not be profitable if energy prices remain at the current level for the rest of 2022"); therefore, strongly believes that the CFP must be urgently reformed and adapted accordingly;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Recalls that over the years of the application of the CFP, the fishing industry has made significant efforts to reduce fishing pressure to the point that, in 2020, the overall fishing mortality ratio (F/FMSY) fell below 1 in the North-East Atlantic;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Considers that it is crucial to continue and accelerate the work of rebuilding and keeping fish stocks above MSY levels, while ensuring that maximum sustainable levels of seafood are produced, in order to ensure food security and positive social and economic returns to fishers and coastal communities;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 12 – indent 1 a (new)
- the importance of existing exemptions to the landing obligation should be acknowledged and the Commission should consider this when reviewing every year all existing exemptions;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indent 2 a (new)
Paragraph 12 – indent 2 a (new)
- the recognition of growth in stock sizes should be taken into consideration when setting TACs; failure to do so may lead to the development of choke species; additionally, applying a deduction of volumes corresponding to the estimated annual discarding quantity of species under exemptions when setting TACs will only further increase the risk of choke species occurring;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Reiterates that the purpose of the landing obligation is the elimination of unwanted catches; stresses, in this regard, that, thanks to the greater selectivity achieved in recent years, there has been a considerable reduction in unwanted by- catches; highlights that this is the result of the efforts made by fishermen in collaboration with the scientific community with applied knowledge of fishing technique and gear, therefore stresses that efforts must be focused on financing fishing gears that contribute to selectivity;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission and the Council to set multiannual TACs only for the main target stocks;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to propose adapting the structural policy in order to facilitate the decarbonisation of the fishing industry, to solve the issue of aging fishing vessels and to improve safety and working conditions, notably by fully utilising the scarce available gross tonnage within national capacity ceilings and excluding the ‘decarbonisation’ and ‘social and safety’ related tonnage from the calculation of the fishing capacity;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Proposes enlarging the participation in the ACs to coastal regions directly concerned;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Considers that co-management with the ACs, producers organisations and cofradias must be developed to foster a bottom-up approach, given their essential role in achieveing the objectives of the CFP;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission to base all its political and legislative initiatives (including implementing acts that set restrictions on fisheries) on scientific, technical and economic advice (including fishers’ experiencmpirical knowledge) and on prior impact assessments;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34 a. Stresses the need for greater integration of EU strategies into the CFP in order to avoid introducing conflicting or non-synergistic measures;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 c (new)
Paragraph 34 c (new)
34 c. Draws attention to the objectives of the Integrated Maritime Policy and the consequent need to establish a better balance between the various economic activities pertaining to the Blue economy, particularly with regard to maritime spatial management plans;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls on the Commission to promote the CFP as a policy model for ocean governance and to defend the EU fishing sector’s and aquaculture interests in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements, and Trade Agreements, and more generally in international forums;
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Stresses that climate change mitigation and adaptation are key in the CFP to address the climate change challengechallenges insufficiently tackled by the current CFP;
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43 a. Stresses that the efforts made by the fishing industry to improve the stocks’ sustainability and to commit to keeping them in good condition once a good status is reached will be meaningless if climate change is not addressed;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)
Paragraph 43 b (new)
43 b. Strongly emphasises the need for scientific research to focus more on the interactions between environmental changes due to climate change and fish stocks, in order to avoid blaming the depletion of stocks solely on the fishing industry;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44 a. Stresses that, for fisheries, resilience to climate change is achieved through diversified fishing zones and targeted species;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 b (new)
Paragraph 44 b (new)
44 b. Aknowledges that the decarbonisation of the fleet is essential to adapt the CFP to the climate change challenges and to the EU´s carbon neutrality objectives; stresses that this requires: accelerating research and development; removing current barriers, in particular as regards the measurement of fishing capacity; adapting the State Aid policy and the EMFAF; providing adequate and sufficient funding, so that the sector is able to acheive the decarbonisation of the EU fleet within the extremely tight timeframe required by the Green Deal and the Fit for 55 packages;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Amendment 436 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls on the Commission to design tools and funding opportunitiessufficient funding for the sectors affected by climate change;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 15 a (new)
Subheading 15 a (new)
Aquaculture
Amendment 446 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46 a. Recalls the importance of aquaculture to guarantee long-term food security and contribute to meeting the growing world demand for aquatic food, as well its contribution to create growth and employment for Union citizens, to better preserving ecosystems and biodiversity and be part of a more circular management of resources;
Amendment 447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 b (new)
Paragraph 46 b (new)
46 b. Stresses that farmed seafood, as a source of protein for food has a lower- carbon footprint and required the least use of natural resources that other terrestrial livestock, and has an important role to play in helping to build a sustainable food system;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 c (new)
Paragraph 46 c (new)
46 c. Recognizes the role of the strategic guidelines and the Multiannual National Strategic Plans for the development of a sustainable and resilient aquaculture;
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 d (new)
Paragraph 46 d (new)
46 d. Regrets that since 2014 the European aquaculture is stagnant and limited progress has been made in reducing the administrative burden and integrating aquaculture into maritime, coastal, and inland spatial planning;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 e (new)
Paragraph 46 e (new)
46 e. Underlines that the European aquaculture is far from reaching its full capacity and that the EU import dependence rate is very high since almost 75% of the total seafood that is consumed in the EU is imported from third countries;
Amendment 451 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 f (new)
Paragraph 46 f (new)
46 f. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote, instead of the growth of low-trophic aquaculture, the growth of low environmental-impact aquaculture, which includes not only mollusc and algae but also freshwater and marine finfish farming. Stresses in particularly the importance of finfish production in the supply of the EU market, due to the scale of the imported tonnages involved (94% in 2021);
Amendment 452 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 g (new)
Paragraph 46 g (new)
46 g. Recalls that big non-EU producer countries continue to heavily promote the growth of their finfish farming sector, with the EU being their main export market;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 h (new)
Paragraph 46 h (new)
46 h. Calls on the Commission and Member States to actively support the implementation of the revised strategic guidelines and the multiannual national plans and promote its long term sustainability with focus not only to the environmental sustainability but also the economic and social sustainability of the EU aquaculture;
Amendment 454 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 i (new)
Paragraph 46 i (new)
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 k (new)
Paragraph 46 k (new)
46 k. Regrets that since 2014 the European aquaculture is stagnant and limited progress has been made in reducing the administrative burden and integrating aquaculture into maritime, coastal, and inland spatial planning.