EUR-Lex
SWD(2020)0035

EUR-Lex
SWD(2020)0036

The Commission presented, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) 1100/2007, a report on the outcome of the implementation of the Eel Management Plans, including an evaluation of the measures concerning restocking and of the evolution of market prices for eels less than 12 cm in length.

The report made the following recommendations:

State of the Stock of European Eel : according to the latest ICES advice released in November 2013, the status of the eel stock remains critical and urgent action is needed . The advice points out that there is an increase in the annual recruitment of glass eels from less than 1% to 1,5% in the North Sea and from 5% to 10% elsewhere over the last two years.

Scientific advice is also provided by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature which has assessed in 2014 the species as critically endangered on the basis of a sharp reduction in population size.

State of Implementation of Regulation 1100/2007 : the implementation of the Eel Regulation has suffered significant delays. Nineteen Member States have submitted EMPs. These plans contain various measures to reduce mortality factors including fishing restrictions and non-fishing related actions, in particular as regards the modification or removal of migration obstacles, restocking, reduction of pollution, combating of parasites. Before approval by the Commission, all EMPs submitted were examined by ICES.

Despite the implementation of EMPs, the state of the stock of European eel remains critical and a precautionary approach should be adopted until there is certain evidence of a sustained increase in recruitment and the adult stock. In line with this scientific advice, additional measures may need to be considered to reduce current levels of humanly induced mortality (fisheries and non-fishing anthropogenic mortality).

The Commission recommended that more attention should be given to management measures related to these non-fishing anthropogenic mortality factors – in particular, hydropower and pumping stations, habitat loss or degradation, pollution, diseases and parasites - the majority of which has only partially been implemented by Member States.

Moreover, the implementation of EMPs has resulted in restrictions on fisheries, which can bring about an increase in glass eel recruitment within a couple of years. It is therefore necessary to assess the impact of such restrictions in the short-term.

Lastly, it is recalled that the EMPs should contain management measures to ensure the escapement to the sea of at least 40% of adult eels relative to the escapement levels that would have existed in the absence of human influences. However, there is not yet the complete data available from inside or outside the EU to assess the achievement of this objective at the scale of the EU or the whole eel stock.

Restocking : the Eel Regulation obliges Member States who permit glass eels fishing to reserve at least 60% of the catches for conservation-oriented restocking within the EU. However, it is not certain that 60% of the total catches have been effectively restocked, since it seems that the demand is not sufficient.

Scientific advice on the state of the stock of European eel for 2012 expressed concerns about current eel restocking practices and pointed out that it is not clear if restocking actually contributes to ensure increased silver eel escapement, or to sustain fishing for eel in certain EMUs.

The reported stressed that it is therefore necessary to put in place means to evaluate the effects of this measure and contribution to silver eel escapement, as well as consider if the provisions on restocking in the Eel Regulation are still adequate in light of problems with their implementation.

The services of the Commission are closely following scientific work on this topic and will address the issue in accordance with most recent findings.

Reporting obligations : from an administrative point of view, the Eel regulation puts upon Member States significant reporting obligations, since a complete reporting of indicators is necessary to fully assess the state of the stock and the effectiveness of the implementation of EMPs. However, reporting has often been incomplete, whereas there are inconsistencies in reporting and calculation of reported stock indicators among Member States.

Standardization of data table formats and calculation methods would facilitate reporting, while enabling a better evaluation of the effectiveness of individual management measures at EMU level.

The Commission intends to request an external scientific review of the methodologies used by Member States , and, where relevant, an update or a new estimation of stock indicators regarding eel. On the basis of this advice and where appropriate, the Commission will consider ways and means to assess the effectiveness of the Eel regulation, including a possible review.

COM(2014)0640
EUR-Lex

This corrigendum does not concern the English version.

Regulation 2007/1100
OJ L 248 22.09.2007, p. 0017
Corrigendum to final act 32007R11OOR(01)
OJ L 070 14.03.2008, p. 0024

The Council instructed the Permanent Representatives Committee to find a solution to the outstanding issues regarding the proposal for a Regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel with a view to reaching political agreement in June 2007.

2797

2793

SP(2006)2902

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Albert Jan MAAT (EPP-ED, NL) making some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary dated 19/04/2006.)

T6-0200/2006

Debate in Parliament

A6-0140/2006

A6-0140/2006

The committee adopted the report by Albert Jan MAAT (EPP-ED, NL) amending - under the consultation procedure - the proposed regulation on measures for the recovery of European eel stocks. Among its recommendations, the committee sought to replace the Commission's idea of a 15-day fishing ban each month with an alternative measure to shorten the fishing season "so that fishing effort is reduced by half." It added that, for Member States which have submitted an Eel Management Plan to the Commission for approval by the end of 2006, this provision would be suspended until the Commission had taken a definitive decision.

The report called for "special measures to ensure an increase in the number of glass eels released" to combat the threat posed by large-scale exports of glass eels. It also specified that Member States should adopt "extra measures to obstruct as little as possible the natural migration of glass eels during certain periods", and called for the EU to support "measures to aid the construction and/or adaptation of barrier-crossing mechanisms to prevent migration along rivers from being compromised". MEPs also proposed a new clause aimed at providing additional protection for glass eels, imposing certain conditions on fishing for eels less than 12 cm long.

The report further suggested that a certain percentage (to be determined by the Commission) of the eel used in aquaculture should be used for breeding to restock inland waters with yellow eel. Lastly, it called for the implementation of various provisions of the regulation to be postponed by one year, saying that various factors made the proposed calendar unfeasible.

PE370.303

PE367.957

PURPOSE: To establish measures for the recovery of European Eel stock.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation

CONTENT: Recent scientific research, conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), indicates that the European eel fish stock is so depleted that it is now outside safe biological limits. This, in spite of a number of measures taken by the Member States to protect eel’s natural habitat (minimum landing sizes, licensing of eel fishermen, regulating the construction of dam and eel passes, the EU Habitat Directive etc.) The Commission has thus come to the conclusion that the very nature of eel migration and feeding habits makes it impossible to manage eel populations by relying exclusively on standard management instruments.

In presenting this Regulation the Commission is hoping to achieve a recovery of eel stock across Europe to previous levels of adult abundance as well as seeing a return of the glass eel. It intends to do so by setting a specific target for managing Europe’s eel population. The main part of the Regulation therefore is cast as an obligation whereby Member States are expected to achieve a specified target for eel management. The choice of management to be used can be determined by the Member States with the Commission establishing the target to be met. The choice of a devolved approach based principally on eel management plans devised by Member States, but whose objective is determined in Community legislation is, according to the Commission, an appropriate methodology for the restoration of Europe’s declining eel stock. By managing the eel population thus, the Commission believes it is contributing to an equitable and balanced system of management, which in the long term, will help protect Europe’s depleted eel population. This approach has the support of interested parties, all of whom were consulted in a transparent and open manner prior to the presentation of this Regulation. The actual provisions being proposed are as follows:

- Eel management plans: The principle element of the Regulation is the establishment of national eel management plans whereby each Member State will achieve the objective of a 40% escapement of adult silver eel from each river basin (measured with respect to undisturbed conditions). These plans should be reviewed by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries and, if a positive evaluation is received, should be approved by the Commission and come into force on 1 July 2007.

- Given the gravity of eel decline the Commission is also proposing additional short-term measures, namely imposing fishery closures for 15 days each month. These closures should stay in force until a Member State has implemented an approved Eel Management Plan.

- The above measure could be over-ruled in cases where a Member State can reliable demonstrate that existing measures are in conformity with the 40% objective or if the fishing is for glass eel to be used for restocking purposes.

In addition to these measures, the Commission will be proposing the establishment of a traceability system to assist in the fight against poaching. Within this context the Commission proposes that provisions concerning the control and enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy should also apply to eel fisheries and to eel products. Other measures include examining ways in which to limit the export of glass eel

As far as budgetary implications are concerned, the Regulation will have a negligible impact on the Community budget. Research into eel populations will be funded through the 7 th Framework Programme. State aid applicable to fisheries and its applicability to eel fisheries and environmental measures are addressed in the European Fisheries Fund.

COM(2005)0472
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: To establish measures for the recovery of European Eel stock.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation

CONTENT: Recent scientific research, conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), indicates that the European eel fish stock is so depleted that it is now outside safe biological limits. This, in spite of a number of measures taken by the Member States to protect eel’s natural habitat (minimum landing sizes, licensing of eel fishermen, regulating the construction of dam and eel passes, the EU Habitat Directive etc.) The Commission has thus come to the conclusion that the very nature of eel migration and feeding habits makes it impossible to manage eel populations by relying exclusively on standard management instruments.

In presenting this Regulation the Commission is hoping to achieve a recovery of eel stock across Europe to previous levels of adult abundance as well as seeing a return of the glass eel. It intends to do so by setting a specific target for managing Europe’s eel population. The main part of the Regulation therefore is cast as an obligation whereby Member States are expected to achieve a specified target for eel management. The choice of management to be used can be determined by the Member States with the Commission establishing the target to be met. The choice of a devolved approach based principally on eel management plans devised by Member States, but whose objective is determined in Community legislation is, according to the Commission, an appropriate methodology for the restoration of Europe’s declining eel stock. By managing the eel population thus, the Commission believes it is contributing to an equitable and balanced system of management, which in the long term, will help protect Europe’s depleted eel population. This approach has the support of interested parties, all of whom were consulted in a transparent and open manner prior to the presentation of this Regulation. The actual provisions being proposed are as follows:

- Eel management plans: The principle element of the Regulation is the establishment of national eel management plans whereby each Member State will achieve the objective of a 40% escapement of adult silver eel from each river basin (measured with respect to undisturbed conditions). These plans should be reviewed by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries and, if a positive evaluation is received, should be approved by the Commission and come into force on 1 July 2007.

- Given the gravity of eel decline the Commission is also proposing additional short-term measures, namely imposing fishery closures for 15 days each month. These closures should stay in force until a Member State has implemented an approved Eel Management Plan.

- The above measure could be over-ruled in cases where a Member State can reliable demonstrate that existing measures are in conformity with the 40% objective or if the fishing is for glass eel to be used for restocking purposes.

In addition to these measures, the Commission will be proposing the establishment of a traceability system to assist in the fight against poaching. Within this context the Commission proposes that provisions concerning the control and enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy should also apply to eel fisheries and to eel products. Other measures include examining ways in which to limit the export of glass eel

As far as budgetary implications are concerned, the Regulation will have a negligible impact on the Community budget. Research into eel populations will be funded through the 7 th Framework Programme. State aid applicable to fisheries and its applicability to eel fisheries and environmental measures are addressed in the European Fisheries Fund.

COM(2005)0472
EUR-Lex