Activities of Isabella LÖVIN related to 2009/2106(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Green Paper on reform of the common fisheries policy (debate)
Explanations of vote
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Green Paper: Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy PDF (285 KB) DOC (215 KB)
Amendments (54)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in cases where there is a conflict among the primary objectives - environmental, social and economic sustainability - priority must be given to conservation of stocks, since without abundant fish stocks there can be neither a fishing industry nor thriving coastal communities,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas 88 % of Community stocks are being fished beyond MSY and 30 % of these stocks are outside safe biological limits, which has severe consequences for the viability of the industry,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas, pursuant to Directive 2008/56/EC, the Member States should take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain good environmental status in the marine waters of the European Union by the year 2020 at the latest, which will require the regulation of fishing activities under the CFP with a view to supporting the achievement of this objectives, including through the full closure to fisheries of certain areas, to enable the integrity, structure and functioning of ecosystems to be maintained or restored and, where appropriate, to safeguard, inter alia, spawning, nursery and feeding grounds,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas, in order to be effective, the CFP should be restructured with a view to the multidisciplinary involvement of all groups directly or indirectly connected with the sector, in particular fishermen, vessel owners, - fishermen, the processing sector, retailers, trade unions, vessel owners, recreational fishermen, civil society (including environmental and development NGOs) the scientific community and politicians,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas, despite the significant progress made following the revision of the CFP in 2002, serious problems relating to fleet overcapacity and the scarcity of fishery resources still remain and have worsened in recent years, leading to serious adverse impacts on non-target species and the marine environment in general,
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the maintenance of modern, competitive and safe fishing fleets is not inthat do not damage the marine environment is compatible with the reduction in fishing capacity, which has in fact been carried out byto variousying extents by Member States in order to bring it more closely into line with the availability of resources,
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
N a. whereas the value of no-take marine reserves as one efficient tool to protect marine ecosystems and provide fisheries management benefits is widely recognised, provided their establishment and protection meet a number of minimum standards,
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the EU will need to coordinateimprove coherence between its development policy and the CFP and devote more human, technical and budgetary resources to the fisheries sectorsupport, in the context of its development cooperation policy with, to the fisheries sector in third countries,
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) should play a vital and increasingly important role in the use and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources in Community and international waters, though several recent performance reviews of RFMOs have identified serious weaknesses in their functioning, leading the UN General Assembly to call for urgent measures to improve their performance,
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas the greatest possible focusincreasing attention should be given to the strategic importance of aquaculture and its development around the world, both in socio-economic terms and with regard to food security, while insisting that the industry must prevent damage to the local marine environment or the depletion of wild stocks, especially small pelagics caught as food for many species in aquaculture,
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Considers that the current reform is crucial for the future of the European fishing industry and that failure to adopt and implement a radical reform could result in there being neither fish nor a fishing industry by the time of the next reform;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Agrees with the Green Paper that economic and social sustainability require productive fish stocks and functioning marine ecosystems, so ecological sustainability is a basic premise for the economic and social future of European fisheries;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Believes that fisheries management must be designed in order to minimise the impact of fishing activities on associated and dependent species and that major decisions should be preceded by an environmental impact assessment, as is the case with most other industries;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the current CFP is one of the most integrated Community policies, which gives the Community broad powers and therefore responsibilities for the management and conservation of marine resources;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Agrees with the five structural failings of the CFP as described in the Green Paper: a deep rooted problem of fleet overcapacity; imprecise policy objectives resulting in insufficient guidance for decisions and implementation; a decision making system that encourages a short-term focus; a framework that does not give sufficient responsibility to the industry; a lack of political will to ensure compliance and poor compliance by the industry;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Believes that the single most important problem that must be overcome in order to achieve a successful reform is the over-capacity of the EU fleets, which leads to political pressure to increase fishing opportunities in the short term, damage to the marine environment and cripples the economic viability of the fleets; recognises that over-capacity is not uniform across all fleets, and that any programme to reduce capacity must be aimed at individual fisheries;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Believes that the over-riding priority of a reformed CFP must be the recovery and long-term sustainable exploitation of fish stocks in both European waters and wherever EU fleets operate, in order to secure future employment and the livelihoods of coastal communities; and that all aspects of the CFP need to be assessed against this vital priority;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that RFMOs should play a vital role in the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fish stocks, good governance and application of good fishing practice within their respective jurisdictionsconvention areas and that the EU position should be to promote the highest possible standards of fisheries conservation and management;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that scientific knowledge of, and technical research to minimise adverse impacts on, marine ecosystems is aare sine qua non for the establishment of a policy for the conservation and sustainable managementexploitation of fisheries resources;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that, notwithstanding the degree of complexity of some procedures for modifying fisheries management models and the difficulties, in particular legal problems, which may appear in this process, these andre not insuperable, as shown by the successful application of other management models in other parts of the world, such as transmissible fishery rights;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that, despite the decommissioning measures taken, some sections of the European fleet have not been sufficiently renewed and there are still vessels which are obsolete or very old and which need to be modernised with a viewstill have some vessels which are obsolete or very old; believes that these vessels should be modernised or replaced by the private sector, aiming to ensuringe greater on-board safety and a lesser environmental impact without increasing fishing capacity;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that the success of aquaculture will depend on an enterprise-friendly environment at national and/or local level and that Member States and regional authorities should be given guidelines enabling them to establish a framework suitable for the implementation of the Community approachthe industry adopting an approach that does not result in damage to the environment or deplete wild fish stocks, characteristics that are fundamental to developing consumer confidence in their product;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Maintains that the CFP should adopt an ecosystem approach (including, inter alia, reduction of discards and damage by gear to the marine habitat, maintenance of both target and non-target species at abundant levels, prevention of significant changes to trophic relationships, reduction in the consumption of energy) implemented at a regional level, which should be taken into account equally in all of the maritime economic activities carried on, where these affect the marine environment;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Believes that access to fish stocks should no longer be based solely on the criterion of historical catches, but that environmental and social criteria should gradually be introduced to determine who has the right to catch fish, including selectivity of the fishing gear and resulting bycatch and discards, disturbance to the marine habitat, contribution to the local economy, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, quality of the final product, employment provided, and compliance with the rules of the CFP, and that priority should be given to fishing for human consumption; is convinced that the use of such criteria could foster a dynamic that would lead to improved fishing practices and a more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable fishing industry;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Maintains that a more selective approach should be applied to fishing gear in order to avert and/or reduce by-catches, thus making for more responsible fishingthe development and use of more selective fishing gear and practices must be encouraged in order to avert and/or reduce by-catches, which can best be accomplished by creating both positive and, where necessary, negative incentives for the fishermen to improve their selectivity, thus making for more responsible fishing; insists that if incentives do not reduce discards sufficiently quickly, then a discard ban should be implemented, with the timing of the ban dependent upon the characteristics of the individual fishery;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Commission and the Member States to conduct a detailed and exhaustive survey on the size, characteristics, and spread (including ecological footprint), and fishing power of the current Community fleets, since thiswhich is essential in order to establish a regime whereby the small-scale fleet would be treated differently from the large-scale fleet, each category being defined according to sound criteriaidentified on objective criteria, at a local or regional level, as a first step to differentiating them from the large-scale fleet, so as to establish conditions that enable them to thrive as vital components of a diversified fishing industry taking account of local and regional particularities;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Takes the view that a comprehensive fleet survey must be compared to the fish resources that are available to be caught, in order to determine which fleets are in balance with the resources and which ones need to be reduced and by how much, as required under Regulation 2371/2002;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Recognizes that target species as well as non-target species such as fish, sharks, turtles, seabirds, marine mammals etc, are sentient creatures, and calls on the Commission to allocate support for the development of catching and slaughtering methods that reduce unnecessary suffering of marine wildlife;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Maintains that the exploitation of fish stocks has to be based on the principle of maximum sustainable yieldintaining the stocks at levels above those capable of producing maximum sustainable yield, while following a precautionary approach and ecosystem approach;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges the Commission and the Member States to promote proper training for fishermen, including mandatory education schemes in "best practice" in fishing and the basics of marine ecology for those requiring professional qualifications, with a view to enhancing the status of qualifications, giving prestige to the profession, and attracting more adaptable young people who would be capable of embracing occupational mobility and taking a more entrepreneurial attitude to the sector;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that all fishing operators, men and women alike, need to be accorded the same status in all Member States, especially as regards access to social security, and that a strategy must be put in place to provide limited financial and other support to fishing professionals who, because fishing capacity has to be adjusted according to the availability of fish stocks, might lose their job;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers it necessary to ensure higher first-sale prices of fishery products and to reduce the number of middlemen in the chain stretching from producers to consumers and, to an increasing extent, secure the involvement of producers’ organisations and other stake-holders in the management of stockfisheries and the marketing of fishery products, the aim being to make the catching sub-sector as profitable as possible;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates the need to provide for strict monitoring and certification of fishery products entering the Community market, including imports, in order to ascertain that they come from sustainable fisheries and, as far as imported products are concerned, satisfy the requirements imposed on Community products, the aim being to create a level playing field on the Community market;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers it essential to establish a political framework allowing decisions concerning the sector to be taken on a medium- and long-term basis, applying different operating plans consistent with the specific nature of marine ecosystems, fisheries and the distinctive features of individual European fleets;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Considers that long-term management plans should beand recovery plans shall be required to be established for all fisheries or geographical fishing regions; calls for these to be precautionary in nature, based upon scientific advice, meeting consistent criteria that will ensure an ecosystem approach, and regularly monitored and assessed, without detracting from the minimum flexibility required to enable them to be adapted swiftly to new circumstances affecting the broader context;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Considers that management and recovery plans should be scientifically assessed and rigorously tested, by simulation, to ensure that they have a high probability of achieving their aims despite the many uncertainties that are inherent in our scientific knowledge of the marine environment and the characteristics of fish stocks;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Considers that in quota-regulated fisheries, all fish caught and killed should count against the national quota;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Maintains that the management system for the fisheries sector has to abandon the traditional top-down approach, laying emphasis instead on the principle of regionalisation and subsidiarity (horizontal decentralisation) and the participation of professionals in the sector and other stake- holders, taking into account the multifarious specific features of the Community fleet; firmly rejects any attempt to adopt a universal Community fisheries management model, in a form serving to impose uniformity;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Urges the Commission to carefully explore the possibility of adopting newonduct a comparative study of the advantages and disadvantages, in the EU context, of alternative fisheries management mechanisms, as opposed toincluding the TAC and quota system, for example fishing effort management and the use of transferable fishing rights, since such arrangements would enable the fleet to be adapted in a more flexible way, in line with the actual diversity and distribution of stocks, and could be supported by structural implementing measures, without neglecting the more vulnerable small-scale sectoror a combination of the two; underscores that both approaches are problematic in their own way and insists that neither system can function effectively without a reduction in capacity to bring the power of the fishing fleets in line with the available resources;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Maintains that Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) and the Community Fisheries Control Agency, as well as other stake-holders, should participate more actively in the CFP reform process and be placed in a position, logistically and financially, to exercise their updated responsibilities effectively and to the full;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Maintains that regionaldecentralised umbrella organisations, staffed bywith representatives of the Member States, the sectorlocal governments, the catching and marketing sectors, civil society, other stakeholders, and the scientific community, should be set up to exercise local management decision- making power and that the RACs, playing their advisory role, should be merged with them, implementing the over- arching principles and standards that are adopted at the EU level, by Council and Parliament, in the diverse situations found at the local level throughout the EU, with the RACs playing their advisory role; believes that these bodies, working in conjunction, would make for genuine and effective decentralisation of management, in keeping with the Treaty and without undermining the general aims and principles laid down by the Community legislature;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls for a more comprehensive policy to make Member States take greater responsibility, whereby they would be eligible for structural funding and other forms of Community support if, and only if, they had fulfilled their control and conservation commitments and whereby penalties would be imposed for failure to comply;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Is convinced that a strong, revitalised aquaculture sector wouldenvironmentally sustainable aquaculture sector has the potential to boost growth in related sectors and help to promote development in coastal and rural areas, with considerable benefits for consumers as well, in the form of ecologically produced nourishing, high-quality food products;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Considers that the sustainable development of aquaculture requires environment-friendly production methods, including sustainable sources of feed, stringent health and animal welfare standards, and a high level of consumer protection;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Calls for support to be given to investment in new fish farming technologies, including intensive systems allowing water to be recycled and offshore salt-water fish farming, with priority support given to improving environmental sustainability;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Calls on the Commission to encourage the search for new aquaculture species, in particular herbivorous species, offering high quality and added value, and to promote research and a Community- wide exchange of good practice regarding such species and the related production methods with a view to meeting environmental concerns and securing a better competitive position in relation to other novel foods;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Maintains that the Community should establish a stronger presence in RFMOs, the FAO, the UN, and other international organisations with a view to promoting the properenvironmentally sustainable management of international fisheries and combating illegal fishing and establishing a new basis for the equitable allocation of access to fish resources;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Maintains that schemes need to be devised for promoting Community fishery products within and outside the EU by organising transnational campaigns supported under financial instruments, following the practice already employed for certain agricultural productscoming from environmentally sustainable and socially fair sources within and outside the EU;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42 a. Insists that the EU should only accept access to fish stocks in third country waters when it has been scientifically demonstrated that there is a surplus that cannot be caught by the third country's fishermen and that it can be harvested sustainably, using at least the same standards as apply to the EU (gear selectivity, etc.);
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Maintains that new fisheriesthe EU concept of fisheries partnership agreements with third countries should be encouraged in order to afrevised in order to promote sustainable fisheries and good governance; that there should be a distinction between the costs of access ford the Community fleet easier access to new fishing groundsEU fleet (which should be covered by ship-owners and represent a fair part of the value of the catches) and the sectoral support provided by the EU to the third country through partnership agreements (for research, control, etc); such support must be long-term in nature and coherent with EU development policy objectives, in particular poverty alleviation;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Considers that, in cases where there is no competition with the local fishing sector, particularly the small scale sector, regarding access to fish resources, fishing zones or markets, partnership agreements have the potential to boost job creation in third countries and reduce poverty levels and hence the numbers of immigrants to the EU;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Considers that the CFP requires a global approach to the management of fish stocks and must be coordinated with environmental and development policies and the IMP;