Activities of Carmen AVRAM related to 2021/2056(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Small-scale fisheries situation in the EU and future perspectives (debate)
Amendments (59)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to Articles 38 to 44 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
— having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy1a _________________ 1a OJ, L 354, p.22, 28 December 2013
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
— having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund,1a _________________ 1a OJ, L 247, p.1, 13 July 2021
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 d (new)
Citation 1 d (new)
— having regard to Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning,1a _________________ 1a OJ, L 257, p.135, 28 August 2014
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 e (new)
Citation 1 e (new)
— having regard to Regulation (EU) No. 1379/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products,1a _________________ 1a OJ, L 354, p.1, 28 December 2013
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 f (new)
Citation 1 f (new)
— having regard to the position adopted by the European Parliament on 11 March 2021 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, and amending Council Regulations (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1005/2008, and Regulation (EU) No 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards fisheries control (COM(2018)0368– C8-0238/2018 – 2018/0193(COD)),
Amendment 8 #
— having regard to the Opinion of the Committee on Fisheries for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system,1a _________________ 1a (2020/2260(INI))
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 h (new)
Citation 1 h (new)
— Having regard the European Parliament resolution of 22 November 2012 on small-scale coastal fishing, artisanal fishing and the reform of the common fisheries policy,1a _________________ 1a (2011/2292(INI))
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 i (new)
Citation 1 i (new)
— Having regard the European Parliament resolution of 12 April 2016 on innovation and diversification of small- scale coastal fishing in fisheries- dependent regions,1a _________________ 1a (2015/2090(INI))
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 j (new)
Citation 1 j (new)
— Having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 4 July 2017 on the role of fisheries-related tourism in the diversification of fisheries,1a _________________ 1a (2016/2035(INI))
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 k (new)
Citation 1 k (new)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 l (new)
Citation 1 l (new)
— having regard to the publication of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) of 26 September2019 entitled “Social data in the EU fisheries sector (STECF-19- 03)”,1a _________________ 1a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/fd0f6774-e0dd-11e9- 9c4e-01aa75ed71a1
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 m (new)
Citation 1 m (new)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 n (new)
Citation 1 n (new)
— having regard to the results of the FAO Regional Conference “Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea” held in Algiers on 7-9 March 2016,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 o (new)
Citation 1 o (new)
— having regard to the MedFish4Ever Ministerial Declaration and roadmap,1a _________________ 1a https://www.actu- environnement.com/media/pdf/news- 28756-declaration-malte-surpeche- mediterranee.pdf
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 p (new)
Citation 1 p (new)
— having regard to the Regional Plan of Action for Small-scale Fisheries for 2018–2028 (RPOA-SSF),
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas, at the moment, the only definition of SSF is to be found within Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 that defines "small-scale coastal fishing" as "marine and inland fishing vessels of an overall length of less than 12 metres and not using towed gear"; Whereas this definition is to be considered for the purposes of the Regulation's implementation only;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. Whereas in most Member States the defining characteristics of SSF go beyond the EMFAF definition as governments apply a range of additional criteria including gears allowed, maximum vessel length, engine power, maximum duration of fishing trips, distance from port at which vessels can operate, area of operation, maximum allowed travel time or vessel ownership;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. Whereas the current definition of SSF included in the EMFF and EMFAF Regulation excludes certain types of vessels, such as those using some traditional gears, which in turn struggle to obtain EU funding as a result of this exclusion; whereas this exclusion also reduces the visibility of SSF and its presence within EU statistics as these units are not counted as belonging to the sector;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) states that the CFP should contribute to "a fair standard of living for the fisheries sector including small-scale fisheries";
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the fisheries sector and small-scale fishing make an important contribution towards socio-economic well- being, employment and the promotion of economic and social cohesion in various coastal regions and Member States; in many southern European coastal regions, and in particular in the Mediterranean, SSF are operating at the intersection of the economic, social and environmental dimensions, providing an important contribution towards socio-economic well- being, employment and the promotion of economic and social cohesion; whereas in this sense, income from fisheries is not to be deemed profit per se as it also contributes to perpetuating a way of life that has immense cultural and historical value for many coastal communities while providing, at the same time, an important social and economic safety net; whereas, in this sense, SSF represent a solution against increasing depopulation, ageing population and mounting unemployment, which are all major challenges for most of the coastal regions in southern European countries and islands;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. Whereas SSF provide a fundamental contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs) as explicitly recognized by SDG 14b; whereas, at the same time, small scale fisheries can provide contributions to the other policy imperatives underlying the SDGs, such as the SDG 2 “Zero hunger” and its Target 2.3, SDG 5 “Gender equality” and its targets 5.a and 5.b, the SDG 8 “Decent work and economic growth” and its target 8.5, and the overall SDG 13 “Climate action”;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas issues concerning safety and accidents in fishing cannot be removed from those concerning fishing efforts and fish yield; safety and comfort-related issues of the SSF fleet cannot be viewed separately from those concerning fishing efforts and fish yield; whereas, in this regards, the gross tonnage limitation, as a criterion to measure the fishing capacity, has a negative impact on the safety and comfort of the SSF fleet as it limits the incentive to replace and modernise vessels or increasing available space in order to improve crew comfort, safety and ultimately the attractiveness of the sector, especially for young people and women;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas safety-related issues cannot be viewed separately from the characteristics of fishing fleets in the Member Statesparticular nature of the fleets as the characteristics of SSF such as the lack of specialised safety advice for the sector, single handed nature of operations, long working hours or the danger of entrapment in the equipment, may render them at high risk; ;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas, despite small-scale fishing’s importance in the EU, it accounts for a substantially smaller share of the sector’s total income than large-scale and distant-water fishing; whereas, at the same time, SSF has significant potential for added value as the 5% of the catch by volume produced contributes to the 15% of the value of the catch;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas earningsresources, especially fishing quotas, are very unequally distributed between industrial fisheries on the one hand, which tend to take a more and small-scale, artisanal and coastal fisheries on the other; whereas one of the main reasons for this unequal deistructive approach to resources, and small-scale, artisanal and coastal fisheries on the otheribution is the predominant use by members states of the criteria of the historical catches, which penalizes exceedingly the SSF sector, impeding generational change and erecting barriers for those who wish to enter the market;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. Where markets are often dominated by few established products and SSF products that are a sustainable alternative to heavily exploited species do not get sufficient marketing attention; whereas consumers are often prevented from obtaining full information about the product they are buying, its production system or the fishing gear;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. Whereas SSF enterprises are often undercapitalised or underfunded and have very limited access to basic accounting tools, credits, micro-finance and insurance;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O b (new)
Recital O b (new)
Ob. Whereas the SSF sector continues to experience economic difficulties and substantial decrease in revenues as a result of the significant increase in operating costs aggravated by other factors such as the reductions in the value of fish at first sale or rising fuel prices; whereas these and other factors have rendered SSF ever more relying on fuel subsidies and often impose an increase in fishing effort onto the fishers in order to reach economic viability for their activity;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O c (new)
Recital O c (new)
Oc. Whereas the SSF sector has traditionally suffered from a lack of organizational capacity; whereas among the main factors contributing to limit SSF collective action there is: 1) the large number of actors in the SSF sector combined with their geographical dispersion; 2) the nature of the business, which is mainly based on small-family enterprises; 3) the lack of trained staff devoted to management; 4) the lack of financial support for SSF organisations to take part in the decision-making process;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O d (new)
Recital O d (new)
Od. Whereas the SSF sector finds itself more and more in competition with other blue maritime activities as well as with renewable energy interests that affect many activities along the coast, in beaches or harbour areas, thus potentially taking over areas previously used almost exclusively by SSF, resulting in displacement as well as in ‘sea and coastal grabbing’;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O e (new)
Recital O e (new)
Oe. Whereas gentrification processes occurring in many developing coastal areas risk to make it increasingly unaffordable for small scale fishers to live in coastal areas, pushing them far from their place of work and thus rendering their activity even more difficult and inconvenient;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. Whereas management strategies based solely on the reduction of fishing days, such as that applied for the Western Mediterranean, are putting the SSF sector on its knees; whereas these continuous reductions, if combined with the already precarious situation caused by the COVID pandemic, are leading to the collapse of a large share of the sector, which would no longer be able to reach the minimum profitability threshold that guarantees its survival; whereas these reductions also raise numerous issues such as those linked to safety on board, the greater risk of injuries, the increase of illegal fishing and the social repercussions resulting from unemployment;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that the future of small-scale, coastal and artisanal fishing depends on immediate, meaningful and effective measures to increase fishing incomes, empower the fleet, tonhance the organizational and commercial capabilities of the sector, enhance the profession’s attractiveness and provide training for young people and to improve operating conditions; calls on the Commission, therefore, working in close cooperation with the Member States, to establish and implement support mechanisms for small-scale, artisanal and coastal fisheries that make it possible to tackle the specific problems in this part of the sector;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the need to invest in product diversification through initiatives aimed at creating new markets, shedding light on lesser-known species in order to improve SSF’s market position, alleviate the demand for products whose constant supply throughout the year can only be guaranteed by imports and help reduce fishing pressure on overexploited species;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Affirms the need to strengthen and shorten the sector’s value chain and promote marketing strategies, fostering mechanismbetween the producer and the consumer by reducing the number of intermediaries and ideally reaching the point where the producer is able to serve the final customer directly; in this sense, underlines thate improve the first-sale price, so as to benefit fisherortance of promoting new distribution channels, such as online sales or apps, online platforms or social media channels and calls for regulatory measures of direct selling off the boat that do not harm the existence of this important channel of distribution for SSF products;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that measures are neededStresses the fact that SSF are the weakest segment along the value chain and marketing arrangements often tend to favour the interests of the buyer, rather than the fishers, who have little to no control over pricing, which in turn end up in marginal earnings for the products sold; urges the need for measures to defend or create markets of origin, thereby advocating short sales channels for traditional products and promoting and defending the particularintrinsic qualityies of fish from small-scale fishing;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for small-scale fishing support programmes to be introduced with a view to driving down production costimproving business management and organizational capabilities, driving down production costs, improving first sale prices and ensuring economic sustainability;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that public institutions should facilitate access to finance to the weakest segments of the fleet in order to foster value chains and prevent market failures; in this regard, calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up legislative initiatives to facilitate access to formal finance for the SSF sector; stresses that this should include: 1) access to both formal credit for capital expenses and financing for fishing operations, 2) the development, in partnership with financial institutions, of facilities and financial products for medium to long- term investment, 3) the application of formal financing schemes such as production contracts or storage receipts, with the participation of fishers, traders and public authorities;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Takes the view that the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) should make it possible to provide specific support for small-scale fishing in the form of fuel subsidies;Underlines that in certain sea- basins, such as the Mediterranean, the majority of the SSF sector is dependent on fuel subsidies; underlines that the new proposal for a council directive restructuring the Union framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity1a, by ending the current mandatory exemption for the fishing sector, puts at risks the survival of the majority of the SSF segment; stresses the need for alternative solutions that allow the sector to combine a just transition towards the sustainability goals set by the Green Deal with the ability of the SSF sector to economically survive and guarantee the decent sustenance of its workers; _________________ 1a COM(2021) 563 final
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Commission to allow, under the aegis of EMFAF, SSF sector- specific support to be provided once again forfor installation of storage, freezing and refrigeration, infrastucture and for maintaining the cold chain from boat to plate as a decisive element enabling full advantage to be taken of fisheries resources – without destroying or depleting stocks – and ensuring a regular supply to the publicdelivery of high quality fresh products to the public, hotels, restaurants and to the food processing industry;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that support under theprovided by Member States, when implementing the new EMFAF, should be marshalled to address market failures, thereby contributing to increased incomes from fishing, promoting jobs with rights in the sector and ensuring fair prices for producers;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Stresses that the EU is missing a tool to understand the extent of EMFF and EMFAF investments in the SSF sector, the number of good practices funded, the delivering of concrete results and how FLAGs are working and effectively implementing the CFP; calls on the Commission to establish such a tool as a fundamental step in order to understand how to scale up good practices and replicate virtuous fishing methods at the EU scale;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that the gross tonnage criteria to measure fishing capacity, by also including space reserved for crew facilities and comfort, hinders the modernization of the fishing vessels and the much needed improvement of the working conditions of the SSF fleet; urges, in this regard, the Commission to review these criteria in order to find a solution able to balance the needs of the SSF workers with the need to control the EU fleet's fishing capacity;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Takes the view, however, that the necessary setting of environmental objectives must go hand in hand with defining social and economic objectives, which are crucial for any fisheries policy; calls on the Commission to take the interdependence of these objectives into account when designing future fisheries legislation;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Stresses the need to reach a consensus around a common definition of SSF at the EU level; stresses the need to draft a common definition through an appropriate matrix system to include other characteristics of the segment; stresses the need for this definition to be pragmatic, measurable and clear; stresses the fact that this definition should be included in a more horizontal regulation, such as the CFP Regulation, so to encompass the whole EU fisheries legislation; calls on the Commission to address this issue within the future review of the CFP Regulation;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Highlight the scarcity of economic, social and territorial statistical data and indicators on SSF at the European level; stresses that this lack and inadequateness of statistics does not allow for a proper analysis of the segment and therefore for a proper legislative action to tackle the most critical issues SSF faces; urges the Commission to launch a comprehensive and region-wide mapping action to develop an accurate and complete baseline data on SSF with a view to measure the economic and social impact of SSF both in quantitative and qualitative terms and to estimate 1) the value of the output produced by SSF; 2) its economic impact on coastal communities and 3) its impact on related sectors; stresses the need to involve fishers and fishers’ associations in scientific monitoring, mapping, data collection, management and control activities, in order to take full advantage of their knowledge;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26c. Urges the Commission to launch a comprehensive and region-wide mapping of 1) social protection systems and national legislations in place and available to SSF in the EU member states with a view to identifying and promoting the most successful options; 2) legislation and institutional mechanisms which ensure the full participation of SSF in all activities regarding the sustainable development of the sector (development of alternative activities, co-management, financial support, labelling, traceability, right to decent work, social protection, etc.);
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26d. Stresses the crucial importance for the SSF sector to have a stronger dedicated organizational capacity in order to strengthen its position along the value chain; stresses that stronger producers organizations can play a key role in the management of commercialization structures of SSF products, in improving market access for SSF products and in increasing the availability of local food within coastal communities; stresses, in particular, the fact that their strengthening and promotion would help SSF to 1) become price-makers instead of price-takers; 2) set fair prices; 3) diminish the intra-sectoral competition; 4) promote a more efficient use of its own structures and resources through collective action; calls on, in this regard, the Commission and the Member States to follow up on the prescriptions of the CMO Regulation by establishing regional plans for SSF producers' organizations in order to increase the SSF sector's profitability and improve the quality and traceability of its products;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 e (new)
Paragraph 26 e (new)
26e. Stresses that the SSFsector, more than the rest of the fleet segments, may bear the brunt of the impact of the growing need for renewable energy sources to meet the goals set by the EU Green Deal; stresses that SSF will be particularly affected if displacement deriving from installation of a growing number of offshore windfarm units within inshore fishing grounds takes place, as it may not have the capacity to move to fishing grounds further afield or to change fishing methods; calls, in this regard, for appropriate marine spatial planning in order to guarantee the interests of all the sectors and for fair compensation to small scale fishermen as a last resort;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 f (new)
Paragraph 26 f (new)
26f. Stresses the opportunities deriving from possible synergies between the SSF and other sectors and in particular with coastal tourism that shares the same assets and infrastructures of the SSF sector; stresses that such synergies would enable diversification in the local economy, provide additional jobs and income to families, and help stabilise the declining profitability and employment in the fisheries sector; calls, in this regard, for a clear definition of pesca-tourism that allows for a regulated activity and at the same time for professional small-scale fishers to take full advantage of the opportunities given by synergies with the blue economy sector;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 g (new)
Paragraph 26 g (new)
26g. Stresses that the socio-economic and environmental challenges arising from the management of Maritime Protected Areas offer a potential solution to reconcile conservation and sustainability objectives on the one hand with the integration of the SSF sector into management decisions in and around MPAs; calls on, in this regard, the Commission and the Member States to develop participatory approaches to the management MPAs, based on biological and socio-economic data jointly formulated, implemented and revised together with MPA practitioners, concerned stakeholders and the SSF sector; calls on the Commission and the Member States to consider developing participative management practices also to find a balance between the sustainable development of SSF and, where applicable, the sustainable development of responsible tourism;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 h (new)
Paragraph 26 h (new)
26h. Stresses that the viability of SSF critically depends on secure access to resources and fishing areas on the one hand, and to value added markets on the other; calls, in this respect for a differentiated approach to the management of SSF, with priority access to inshore fishing areas and ring fenced quotas granted to SSF activities; calls for the establishment of fishing areas reserved for SSF activities under co- management regimes, with associations of SSF empowered to share responsibility and decision-making power in the drafting and implementation of co- management plans with national authorities in co-management committees;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 i (new)
Paragraph 26 i (new)
26i. Stresses the fact that the SSF sector should be granted a fair share of fishing quota; stresses that in order to achieve this goal, distribution methods by the Member States should be less based on historical records and more on the basis of other criteria such as fleet size, age of the fishers or the fishing gears employed; urges, in this regard, all Member States to fully implement the prescriptions present in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 1380/2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy for the use of transparent and objective allocation criteria, including those of an environmental, social and economic nature, and to increase the percentage of national quotas allocated to the SSF sector accordingly;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 j (new)
Paragraph 26 j (new)
26j. Highlights that within the SSF sector women continues to be underrepresented; stresses that despite this, women have always played an active, although frequently invisible, role within the SSF sector; stresses that this “invisibility” is due to cultural reasons but also to the lack of official statistical data on women’s employment within the SSF sector; calls on the Commission and Member states to support projects dedicated to collecting information on women’s employment as well as to enable women to enter the SSF sector and take a central role within it;