27 Amendments of Gabriel MATO related to 2021/2189(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to the Opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 17 December 2015 on the future of European aquaculture,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the shellfish and aquaculture sectors play an important and valuable role in the EU from an economic, social and environmental perspective, and help to improve the quality of life in coastal, interior and outermost regions of the EU;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas EU aquaculture production accounts for just 1.15% of global production, according to the most recent figures (2018)6a; _________________ 6a European Commission, Directorate- General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, The EU fish market: 2020 edition, Publications Office, 2021.
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the establishment or expansion of an aquaculture farm in the EU requires various licences and authorisations and is generally a slow, complex procedure that sometimes lacks legal certainty and economic predictability; whereas this situation hinders the development of the sector, discouraging corporate investment and generating excessive costs for the sector, while promoting imports from third countries;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the FAO 2020 report on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture indicates that globally, the proportion of women in the total aquaculture work force (19 %) is larger than that in fisheries (12 %) and that overall, women play a crucial role throughout the fish and aquaculture value chain and provide labour in both commercial and artisanal practices; whereas the aquaculture sector in general directly employs more than 74 000 people in the EU in more than 12 000 companies6b; _________________ 6 b Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – The EU Aquaculture Sector – Economic report 2020 (STECF-20-12). EUR 28359 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas EU shellfish production consists mainly of molluscs, specifically mussels, oysters and clams, and is generally a traditional, labour-intensive aquaculture activity carried out by family businesses that is fully integrated into the local environment;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the interim evaluation of the Open Method of Coordination concluded that the Member States should make greater efforts to expand the EU’s aquaculture sector, enhancing its resilience and competitiveness, guaranteeing, in particular, access to space and water, and a transparent and efficient regulatory and administrative framework;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning calls for all coastal Member States to present national maritime spatial plans to the Commission ‘as soon as possible, and at the latest by 31 March 2021’;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on the strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030; considers these guidelines comprehensive, sound and fit for the purpose of promoting sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture with a long-term focus on the sustainability of the aquaculture sector and on its contribution to the European Green Deal; regrets, however, that they are too much focused on environmental aspects and that they need more ambition to boost sustainable production and the development of a genuinely thriving and competitive EU aquaculture sector; considers that it is important to establish quantitative objectives for the growth of this sector in the framework of the guidelines, just as the Biodiversity strategy, the Farm to fork strategy and other Green Deal strategies set environmental targets;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on the strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030; considers these guidelines comprehensive, sound and fit for the purpose of promoting sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture with a long-term focus on the sustainability of the aquaculture sector and on its contribution to the European Green Deal; urges the Members States and the Aquaculture Advisory Council to implement the actions recommended in the guidelines; calls on the Commission to regularly monitor compliance with these recommendations and to keep Parliament informed;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that aquaculture is expected to contribute to food supply and food security by rebalancing the fish gap, since the EU needs to import 70 % of all the aquatic food it consumes and that causes an annual EUR 21 billion trade deficit (in 2019); considers that aquaculture has sizeable growth potential that needs to be enhanced, so that it can provide sustainable and quality food products, reduce our dependence on aquatic food imports and create more jobs, especially in coastal regions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide a predictable, streamlined and business- friendly legal framework, and making full use of the available financing resources of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), as this is the only environment under which these aquaculture contributions can occur; urges the Member States to earmark sufficient funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support the innovation, sustainability and resilience of EU aquaculture businesses;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that the external trade imbalance in aquatic products produced in the Union is unacceptable, both from an economic point of view, given the trade deficit that this entails, and from a social point of view, given the missed opportunities for employment;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that the aquaculture sector should commitntinue to actively applying evidence-based interventions to improve fish welfare, including maintaining water quality within welfare-relevant limits, as a way of reducing the prevalence and spread of diseases, which diminishes the need for antibiotics and lowers pollution levelcontributes to achieving a good environmental status; highlights that the aquaculture sector should continue to improve farming methods in line with the most up-to-date scientific knowledge available in order to achieve better environmental results, resilience against climate change and the optimisation of resource use;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Reiterates that various recommendations on animal welfare do not apply to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors because of their nature;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Member States to continue encouraging the promotion of algae farming without neglecting the more conventional aquaculture farmed species; considers that restoring and better managing seaweed populations could be an effective way, in addition to farming algae, to combat eutrophication and remove excess carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from water; welcomes the Commission’s intention to present a specific initiative to support algae consumption in the EU;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission and the Member States to ensure that national plans for the sustainable development of aquaculture take into account the main barriers to the development of the potential of the sector and to recognise the need to allocate space to aquaculture through appropriate spatial planning; highlights the importance of a transparent and participative mechanism, in line with Directive 2014/89/EU on maritime spatial planning, for allocating space, including to existing and new fishing grounds and aquaculture farms, to all stakeholders in an equitable manner; regrets that some Member States have yet to present to the Commission their national maritime spatial plans, despite the deadline laid down in the Directive, and urges them to present their plans as soon as possible;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Highlights the importance of legal certainty and investment predictability for the sustainable growth of the Union’s aquaculture sector; stresses that all of the measures adopted by the various public authorities in the Member States must help to simplify administrative deadlines and procedures, so that public administrations fulfil their requirements, resolve issues on time and avoid unnecessary delays in authorisation or licensing procedures; rejects retroactive action reducing the period of validity of licences or extensions, and calls on the Member States to safeguard the confidence and legitimate expectations of licence holders;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that the Open Method of Coordination should be further implemented to achieve coordination with national, regional and local public administrations that have competences in the aquaculture sector; considers this coordination very necessary for streamlining national legislation and providing guidance on the regulatory framework applicable to the sector; calls on the Commission to publish country- specific recommendations to provide the Member States with guidance concerning the development of EU aquaculture;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the importance of sustainable feed ingredients for aquaculture in the Union; considers that aquaculture can only fill the fish gap if all species farmed provide a net gain in fish protein, meaning that aquaculturethat does not remove more wild fish from the oceans for feed requirements than it produces should be promoted; stresses the need to uspromote ecologically sustainable marine proteins and oils, by-products and trimmings, other proteins and innovative solutions, such as insect meal and microalgae, and the partial replacement of marine proteins and oils with non-marine alternatives; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote responsible and sustainable practices and increase the percentage of independently certified fishmeal and fish oil within feeds, with certification done by a credible and independent environmental and social certification scheme, such as the one by the Marine Stewardship Council, that uses low trophic index assessment criteria and the FAO code of conduct;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Expresses its strongest support for innovation and advances in the breeding of new aquaculture species;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to work further on levelling the playing field through, notably, the restriction or even the prohibition of imports of products which don't have the same environmental and social sustainability and fish welfare standards than the ones produced in the EU, the revision of international trade agreements, including updating rules for the better implementation of aquatic food labelling; considers that, in specific cases such as caviar labelling, the legal framework on information for consumers should be revised; calls on the Commission to analyse the inclusion of sustainable aquaculture sectors in the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in order to create incentives for European industries and EU trade partners to decarbonise their industries and therefore support both EU and global climate policies towards greenhouse-gas neutrality, and at the same time, without being discriminatory or constituting a disguised restriction on international trade;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Highlights the need to level the playing field for EU organic farmers across the Union, as well as with imported organic products, by providing the same rules, support and harmonising treatments for diseases used in organic aquaculture and organic livestock farming;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Recalls that the EP report "Towards a sustainable and competitive European aquaculture sector: current status and future challenges" proposes 92 actions to unlock the potential of EU aquaculture through: simplifying administrative procedures; ensuring equity in interaction with other sectors; enhancing the competitiveness of EU aquaculture within and outside our borders; improving consumer information; ensuring animal welfare, but also availability of veterinary products; pursuing better promotional campaigns and communication; supporting research and innovation; encouraging training and employment; increasing the sustainability of the EU's aquaculture sector; ensuring adequate financing through the EMFF and other structural funds; achieving a harmonious symbiosis with fisheries; urges the Commission to closely work with Member States to implement those actions.
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35. Points out that the conflict between extractive fishing and aquaculture makes no sense in the current context, in which demand for marine products is rising while the pressure on wild fish populations is gradually starting to decrease in the Union, and stresses that these two activities complement one another;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Stresses that cooperation between aquaculture, on the one hand, and the canning and processing sector, on the other, can generate significant added value for aquaculture products if the cooperation is carried out in synergy and promotes both activities;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and, the Commission and the Member States.