59 Amendments of Gabriel MATO related to 2022/2148(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to 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/2018/368 final) and to Parliament's report on that proposal,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
– having regard to the draft agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction of 4 March 2023,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
– having regard to the report of the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) of 29 November 2022 entitled 'The EU Fish Market – 2022 Edition',
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to the draft Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization, Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (14558/2022), adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (CM12) on 17 June 2022,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
– having regard to the Fisheries Law of the People's Republic of China, adopted on 20 January 1986, and the proposed reform published by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on 28 August 2019,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20
Citation 20
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
– having regard to the Joint Statement by Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru of 3 November 2020 concerning foreign-flagged fishing vessels in zones adjacent to waters under the national jurisdiction of each country,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
– having regard to the US Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement (SAFE) Act, adopted on 20 December 2019,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)
Citation 20 b (new)
– having regard to the US President's National Security Memorandum/NSM-11 of 27 June 2022 on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Associated Labor Abuses,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 c (new)
Citation 20 c (new)
– having regard to the National 5- Year Strategy for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (2022-2026) of 19 October 2022, drawn up by the US Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 d (new)
Citation 20 d (new)
– having regard to report of the United States Congressional Research Service of 12 April 2022 on China's Role in the Exploitation of Global Fisheries: Issues for Congress (R47065),
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 g (new)
Citation 20 g (new)
– having regard to the report of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) of 2 June 2020 entitled 'China’s distant- water fishing fleet: scale, impact and governance',
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 h (new)
Citation 20 h (new)
– having regard to the report of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) of 30 March 2022 entitled 'The Ever- Widening Net: Mapping the scale, nature and corporate structures of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by the Chinese distant-water fleet',
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 i (new)
Citation 20 i (new)
– having regard to the IUU Fishing Index update of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and Poseidon – Aquatic Resource Management Ltd, published on 23 December 2021,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 j (new)
Citation 20 j (new)
– having regard to the IUU Fishing Action Alliance Pledge to stimulate ambition and action in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, agreed on 28 June 2022,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Article 28 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 states that the European Union shall conduct its external fisheries relations with a view to ensuring sustainable exploitation, management and conservation of marine biological resources and the marine environment; whereas in accordance with Article 30 of that Regulation, and at the request of the European Commission, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) will assist the Union in cooperating with third countries and international organisations dealing with fisheries, including RFMOs, to strengthen coordination and compliance with measures, especially those to combat IUU fishing;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas China has, in the absence of reliable official figures, it is estimated that China has the world's largest fishing fleet, including the world’s largest distant-water fishing fleet, and that it is the world’s largest importer of fishmeal7; _________________ 7 Pauly, D. et al., ‘Research for PECH Committee – Role and impact of China on world fisheries and aquaculture’, European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, Brussels, 2022, pp.14 and 28.
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the scale of China's seafood production, extraction and consumption has far-reaching repercussions on fish management and conservation and food security around the world; whereas China's distant-water fleet is a major competitor for the Union's fishing fleet;
Amendment 35 #
Db. whereas more than 80% of the fish consumed in China comes from aquaculture (EUMOFA, 2022); whereas China's aquaculture production in 2020 totalled around 70.5 million tonnes, which on its own represents 58% of global aquaculture production and 63% of Asian aquaculture production;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas the overexploitation of marine biological resources in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, as well as the deterioration of their habitats due to pollution, are partly why China has now developed the largest distant-water fishing fleet and aquaculture industry in the world; whereas, in 2013, President Xi Jinping urged his country's fishing sector to 'build bigger ships and venture even farther into the oceans and catch bigger fish';
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that subsidies for Chinese fishing between 2008 and 2017 represented around 41% of all global subsidies;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the EU and the People’'s Republic of China signed a bilateral agreement in 2018, known as the Blue Partnership, which aims to improve cooperation on global ocean governance and whereas the standing Blue Partnership working group meets once or twice a year; whereas this association is based on three pillars that align with the EU's policy on international ocean governance: strengthening the ocean governance framework, including fishing and measures to combat IUU fishing, fostering the conditions for a sustainable blue economy, and promoting cooperation on science, research and marine data;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas in order to ensure that the Union’s production of fishery products is not jeopardised and that there is an adequate supply of fishery products to its processing industry, the Council, on the basis of a Commission proposal, may biannually reduce or suspend import duties for a number of fishery products within tariff quotas of an appropriate volume8a; whereas 39% of the tuna fillets imported into the EU in 2017 under the 0% autonomous tariff quotas came from China9; _________________ 8a Council Regulation (EU) 2020/1706 of 13 November 2020 opening and providing for the management of autonomous Union tariff quotas for certain fishery products for the 2021-2023 period (OJ L 385, 17.11.2020, pp. 3-10). 9 LDAC opinion (R-10-20/WG1), July 2020.
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas according to EUMOFA data, China exported 5.35 million tonnes of fishery and aquaculture products in 2017 (9% to the European Union), with a nominal value of EUR 19.17 million (EU imports represented 8% of the value); whereas the EUMOFA data for 2021, the last year for which figures are available, also reveal that Chinese seafood exports fell to 3.71 million tonnes (10% to the EU), with a nominal value of EUR 18.1 million (EU imports accounting for 8% of the value);
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Deplores the lack of transparency by the Chinese authorities concerning the number of vessels making up its distant- water fleet; is concerned and bewildered that, in the absence of reliable official figures, the various estimates of the size of China’'s distant-water fleet range from 2 900 to 16 966 vessels; notes that the total Chinese fleet amounts to almost 27 000 vesselscould contain around 27 000 vessels; recalls that the FAO insists on transparency, recognising that 'improvements are needed to more accurately assign China’s distant-water fishery catches by area and disaggregate catches by species'; regrets that the ‘control’ regulation adopted by China applies only to its distant-water vessels, which represent a mereonly a fraction of its entire fleet;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Encourages the Commission to require all fishing vessels to have an IMO identification number and toWelcomes the fact that the ongoing reform of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 on fisheries control requires fisheries products imported into the Union and caught at sea to indicate the IMO number of the fishing vessel, or other unique vessel identifier if the IMO number does not apply, and prohibits the use of flags of convenience; calls for public access to information on the beneficial ownership of fishing vessels of all flags;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Asks the Commission to demand more transparency from the Chinese authorities on the fishing activities undertaken by and the fishing agreements entered into by that country’s distant-water fleets; notes with concern that the opaque nature of these agreements could encourage IUU fishing and make it difficult for the governments affected and other interested parties to monitor the activities of China's distant-water fleet;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the multiplication of fishing agreements between the People’'s Republic of China and third countries; deplores the lack of transparency on these agreements, licences and authorisationsis concerned that these agreements could harm the interests of local industry and put the population's food security at risk; deplores the lack of transparency on these agreements, licences and authorisations; is concerned about the news regarding overfishing in the waters of West Africa, especially the Gulf of Guinea and Lake Volta in Ghana, in which China's distant- water fleet is reported to be involved;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Requests that China ratify and implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures as soon as possible; invites coastal states to disclose the infringements made and sanctions applied on distant- water fishing vessels;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the initiative of the Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) to publish, on 10 May 2023, a website containing data on the fishing authorisations granted to EU vessels fishing outside EU waters and non-EU vessels fishing in EU waters; urges the fisheries authorities of third countries and regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) to adopt similar measures;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Points out that China had the worst overall score for IUU fishing of the 152 coastal states examined in both 2019 and 2022 for the IUU Fishing Index; notes that although China's fleet is far from the only fleet involved in IUU fishing, it has a far-reaching impact around the world because of its size and global presence;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Asks the Member States to strictly enforce EU law on the system for traceability and reporting of catches and step up customs and port controls; believes that the digitalisation of IUU catch certificates via the CATCH system will reduce opportunities for fraudulent imports and alleviate the administrative burden on Member States; wishes to know how many products are caught by Chinese vessels that subsequently enter the EU market;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is concerned about the numerous reports from governments and NGOs of IUU fishing by vessels flying a Chinese flag, and alleged IUU fishing by stateless vessels that could be the responsibility of the Chinese authorities and Chinese- owned vessels flying the flag of a third country; points out that these illegal practices include fishing without a licence, fishing for protected species, fishing with prohibited gear, shark finning, failing to declare catches and disabling the automatic identification systems (AIS) used for tracking;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Is concerned about the news regarding the presence of a number of Chinese vessels fishing unchecked in high seas adjacent to the exclusive economic zones of some Latin American countries, including Ecuador and Argentina; points out that the EU fleet operating in these fishing grounds often faces unfair competition for fishery resources, such as Argentine shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) and Patagonian squid (Loligo gahi); believes that the establishment of an RFMO for the South Atlantic would promote the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fishery resources and fair competition at global level, and urges the Commission to cooperate with all the parties involved to work towards this goal;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Is concerned about the news regarding aggressive action by a number of Chinese vessels, such as the attacks on the Spanish fishing vessel 'Playa de Rodas' in February 2020 during which six vessels flying Chinese flags were involved in ramming it, sending death threats to it, and attempting to sabotage and collide with it;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Welcomes the Agreement reached in the United Nations on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, and urges the European Union and China to expedite the procedures to bring it into effect;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Regrets the complex and sometimes arbitrary bureaucratic conditions imposed by the Chinese authorities on certain EU firms that wish to export fishery products to China; calls on the Commission to work with the Chinese authorities to put an end to this situation;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Encourages China and the countries with which it has signed fisheries agreements to strengthen their capacity to monitor, detect, prevent and respond to IUU fishing incidents; suggests that the Commission should provide technical support to that endincrease technical support to that end via the EFCA; calls on the Commission to provide technical assistance and promote capacity-building, using all possible channels in the framework of the CFP, in line with the EU's international ocean governance goals, in order to encourage and support coastal states with which the Union maintains dialogue in stepping up their fight against IUU fishing and strengthening the sustainability and transparency requirements in the conditions for accessing their EEZs;
Amendment 83 #
7a. Commends the EFCA on its role in the PESCAO project ('Improved regional fisheries governance in Western Africa'), adopted by Commission Decision C(2017) 2951 of 28 April 2017; points out that this project, which includes the goal of strengthening prevention of IUU fishing, is due to end in December 2023; calls on the Commission to extend the project and provide it with additional resources;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages EU seafood producers to diversify their primary processing partners, while encouraging greater aquaculture production in the EU and urgently eliminating the obstacles to its development that result in dependence on imports;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that China has considerably increased its imports into the EU by Points out that, although EU imports of Chinese seafood have fallen in terms of both volume ans ofd value since 2017, the autonomous tariff quotas; takes the view that this creates market distortions, such as the wholesale imports in January, that are out of line with the specific demands; observes for tuna loins have increased considerably, rising from 25 000 tonnes in 2017 to 50 000 tonnes in 2020, 39% of which comes from China; calls on the European authorities to exercise caution and step up controls to ensure that the Chinese imexports have gradually increased from 25 000 tonnes in 2017 to 50 000 tonnes in 2020benefiting from autonomous tariff quotas are not a product of IUU fishing;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that China subsidises its fleets operating in the exclusive economic zones and on the high seas; recalls that this support takes a number of forms, including direct subsidies (aid for fuel, vessel modernisation and replacement), tax exemptions, insurance premium and loan discounts, etc.; points out, again in the absence of official figures, that Chinese government subsidies to its fishing sector in 2018 are estimated to have totalled USD 7.2 billion, which represented 20% of all global fishing subsidies; stresses that these subsidies have boosted the rapid development of China's distant-water fleet, with the ensuing risk of overcapacity and overfishing; stresses that the recent signing, in June 2022, of the WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies should limit the sums disbursed; urges the Chinese authorities to ratify and implement this agreement as soon as possible;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the intensity of the Chinese fishing fleet’'s activities is on the way to depleting stockfisheries resources; takes the view that the status of targeted stockfisheries resources should be ascertained with a view to determining the level of exploitation;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Asks the Commission to devise a strategy to address the fact that China is importing increasing amounts of fishmeal from the rest of the world; stresses that these imports could jeopardise food security in Africa; welcomes the promising and recent progress made on the use of plant-based protein in sustainable fish feed, and urges the Commission and the Member States to support this development;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. InvitUrges the Commission to invoke EUstep up its cooperation with the US Government to take a global approach to the fight against IUU fishing and the worst labour and human rights abuses associated with the phenomenon; invites the Council to look into the use of Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 against Chinese companies already sanctioned by the US Treasury and, if necessary, to extend this measure to other companies accused of human rights violations;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Is deeply concerned about the information regarding inhumane working conditions on board some Chinese fishing vessels; urges China to ratify as soon as possible the ILO's Work in Fishing Convention (No 188);
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Welcomes the fact that both the European Union and China are participating in the FAO Blue Fishing Ports initiative, which aims to draw up guidelines on best international practice for fishing ports that are in the process of transitioning to blue economy models, in order to improve their sustainability by protecting the environment and promoting the social and economic benefits; reiterates its request to the FAO to establish a permanent office in the Port of Vigo to develop and manage the Global Blue Ports Network;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises collaboration with China at global level, under the banner of the FAO, regional fisheries management organisations and the WTO, with a view to devising global policies and regulations to combat IUU fishing; stresses, too, that the Union must step up its cooperation with the United Kingdom, the US, Japan and other key players in fisheries and ocean policy, using its diplomatic and trade instruments to encourage China to make progress on the necessary reforms of its fisheries governance framework; welcomes the fact that, in 2022, the US President instructed his Secretary of State, in coordination with the US Mission to the European Union, to cooperate with the EU, Japan, other members of the G7 and other partners to tackle harmful fishing practices in West Africa, Latin American, the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific region;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Is pleased that China’s 14th five- year plan for the development of its fisheries includes the following targets: enhancing law enforcement, enhancing the protection of aquatic life and promoting the sustainable use of fishery resources, enhancing the safety of fishing activities involving foreign parties, promoting open development and win-win cooperation, boosting international cooperation in the fishing industry, and continuing to improve the capacity for honouring agreements; urges China to meet these targets, including the measures concerning its distant-water fleet;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Is pleased that the draft reform of China's Fisheries Law, published in 2019, refers to sustainability and conservation as vectors of the transformation of Chinese fisheries, clarifies the penalties for IUU fishing and establishes new control mechanisms for the distant-water fleet; hopes that this proposal by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will be adopted as soon as possible by the National People's Congress; invites the Chinese authorities to update its legislation as quickly as possible in order to tackle IUU fishing and overfishing effectively;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the human and financial resources allocated to DG MARE and the EFCA to deal with China and cooperation with third countries are insufficient to cover the true needs; calls for a better balance to be struck so as to ensure that dialogue continues;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Emphasises that, in the context of the global competition between the US and China, the US Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act has adopted a whole-of-government approach to tackling IUU fishing and associated threats to maritime security; commends the fact that the Interagency Working Group on IUU fishing established under this Act brings together 21 federal departments and agencies;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Urges the Commission to ensure that its fisheries policy regarding China is consistent with all of its other policies, especially its trade, social and development cooperation policies; urges the Commission and the European External Action Service, following the example of the US, to look into setting up an interdepartmental working group on IUU fishing under the supervision of a Commission vice-president; suggests that this working group should coordinate the efforts of the Commission's various Directorates-General, the EEAS, the EFCA and the Joint Research Centre;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Welcomes the fact that the European Union recently joined the IUU Fishing Action Alliance; urges the members of the Alliance to coordinate their national systems for tackling IUU fishing and, in particular, to look into the possibility of jointly issuing 'yellow cards' and 'red cards' or other similar instruments;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission. , the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European Fisheries Control Agency, the Government and Congress of the People's Republic of China, the Government and Congress of the United States, and the FAO.