EUR-Lex
COM(2023)0159

COM(2021)0789
EUR-Lex

The Commission presents a report on the application of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States (Landings Regulation).

The report is based on (i) the quality reports on landings submitted by the reporting Member States to Eurostat for the reference year 2016, (ii) compliance analysis and (iii) cost data collected by Eurostat. The statistics on the volumes and prices of the fishery products landed on EU territory contribute to the Commission’s commitments on market intelligence. The data are essential for following up and analysing the EU fishery product markets along the supply chain. They could also be relevant in the context of the landing obligation6 requiring all catches of regulated commercial species to be landed and counted against the relevant quota.

Main findings

In recent years statistics on landings have improved in terms of punctuality, completeness and consistency. Member States provide reliable information on the volume and value of fishery products landed in the EU and very useful detailed data at species level to be used for analysing the EU fish market. Eurostat reporting guidelines have helped make the data on landings more consistent. In parallel, measures taken by national data providers resulted in a better completeness and punctuality

Burden and cost-effectiveness

Half of the reporting Member States claimed that they made gains in efficiency since the last report. One third of them stated that they managed to reduce the burden on respondents by using more user-friendly questionnaires or easier data transmission methods. The European Statistical System carried out a burden and cost analysis of the process involved in collecting data to provide European statistics. Some 17 Member States (out of 23 which report statistics on landings) sent figures regarding burden, which were expressed in full time equivalent (FTE). In addition, for the three Member States that could only provide a total figure for statistics on both fishery catch and landings, the burden for landings was estimated to account for roughly half of the total. The burden ranged from 0.01 to 11 FTE and was less than 0.25 FTE for half of those Member States who reported figures on burden. Some 17 countries sent figures that included direct and indirect costs. For the two Member States that could not distinguish between costs for collecting data on catch and collecting data on landings, the cost was estimated to account for roughly half of the total. The average annual cost for collecting statistical data on national landings was approximately EUR 109 000 per country. If compared to the total value of landings, the total cost of collecting data on landings was 0.08 % of the total value of landings.

The Commission is committed to reducing the burden on Member States and respondents. To this end, it has included in its 2018 work programme a project on streamlining and simplifying statistics on fisheries. This project includes an evaluation of the statistics on fisheries (catches, landings and aquaculture) that Eurostat currently collect. The evaluation will be carried out in the overall context of fisheries data collected by other Commission DGs and international organisations. It will contribute to a strategy that aims to make fishery statistics collected by Eurostat fitter for purpose. The evaluation will be completed in the summer of 2019.

Recommendations

The Commission makes the following recommendations:

- at national level countries should further encourage the use of electronic questionnaires, as it helps make the data collection more efficient;

- a systematic procedure for cross-checking with other national data would ensure better data consistency;

- the automation of validation checks would also increase the reliability of the data.

COM(2019)0047
EUR-Lex

COM(2018)0011
EUR-Lex

The Commission presents a report on the application of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States (Landings Regulation). This is the third assessment report submitted to the European Parliament and the Council.

To recall, the Landings Regulation requires Member States and EEA countries to submit annually statistical data on total quantities and unit values of the fishery products landed in their territory by EU and EFTA vessels. Data are to be broken down by: i) the flag state of the fishing vessels carrying out landings; ii) the ‘presentation’ of the products; and iii) the intended use of the products.

The report assesses the progress made by Member States and EFTA countries with respect to the provisions of the Landings Regulation, namely in terms of the completeness and quality of the data provided. Administrative data appear to be the main source of statistics on landings with almost all countries collecting logbooks, sales notes, and landing, transhipment and takeover declarations.

The main conclusions of the report are as follows:

Progress made: the report concludes that almost all countries are able to rely on administrative data sources to carry out a full census of activity . The methods used for collecting information on fisheries are fairly consistent throughout Europe. The widespread use of electronic reporting and the introduction of automatic validation systems has increased confidence in data quality and allowed countries to improve their punctuality in submitting data.

Weaknesses : the weaknesses in data collection mentioned by survey respondents and the difficulties experienced by Eurostat during the data validation process show that there is still room for improvement:

· for example, longer response times and greater difficulties in performing data checks are seen for countries that do not have centralised systems . In these cases, checking back to decide whether outliers are to be accepted or corrected can be a complex and time-consuming process;

· on several occasions, countries submitted corrections to the data when errors were identified by Eurostat during its cross-checking between statistics on catches and landings. This suggests that the consistency checks being carried out at national level are insufficient;

· some countries reported having experienced delays in receiving data from their small-scale fleet. The data submitted were also, on occasion, incomplete;

· delays in receiving sales notes on landings in other Member States or non-EU countries were also mentioned.

Improvements taking place : the report indicates that several countries are currently taking steps to improve their systems:

· Germany and France are working on new control and validation systems, which are to be operational by mid and end-2016 respectively;

· Cyprus is finalising a tender to implement automatic validation, which will reduce discrepancies between different data sources. It also plans to build a centralised system linking all data source;

· Estonia is taking steps to introduce further automation.

Some countries use additional tools to verify the plausibility of the information reported by fishermen:

· the Portuguese authorities carry out inspections, either at sea or during landings at ports;

· the United Kingdom has put in place various surveillance systems in place and inspectors make regular visits to markets and merchants’ premises;

· several countries also stipulated that landed fish have to be weighed on validated scales in order to ensure accuracy.

Questionnaire: Eurostat prepared a questionnaire to be filled in by countries before launching the 2014 data collection exercise. A set of practical guidelines for reporting statistics on landings was then produced, on the basis of the replies received. The guidelines give precise instructions on which landings should or should not be included, and on how they should be reported. There was felt to be a need for such guidelines in order to harmonise national practices and avoid distortions in aggregated data. Use of these guidelines should result in better quality data .

Recommendations : certain countries have not yet resolved some of the shortcomings highlighted in the previous report of 2014 . These are related namely to the questionable quality of primary data and to validation systems that are not (or not fully) centralised and automated. In some cases, greater difficulties seem to arise when several different organisations are responsible for the data.

The report stresses the need to:

· link all source data and implementing automatic consistency and plausibility checks are also essential steps for improving the reliability of data and ensuring data is submitted on time;

· ensure very close cooperation with the national authorities concerned to deal with issues such as Italy lacking data on fishing activities in the Eastern Central Atlantic and Western Indian Ocean;

· take further steps to simplify the process of preparing and submitting the data in order to help to reduce the burden on data suppliers;

· take steps to improve the conversion factors used to calculate the live weight of fish products.

COM(2016)0239
EUR-Lex

The Commission has presented a report on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States.

The report documents the progress made by Member States and EFTA countries with respect to the provisions of the Landings Regulation, requiring each Member State to submit data annually on the weight, presentation, intended use and average price of fishery products landed on its territory by European and EFTA vessels.

Logbooks, sales notes and landing declarations are the most important administrative sources of catch and landings data.

According to the Commission, the data continue to be a valuable source of information for formulating policy and managing markets within the common fisheries policy (CFP) framework. The report’s main observations include:

· the data supplied to Eurostat are for the most part collected under procedures introduced for control and enforcement purposes. Member States report no particular differences in the methodology for information supplied to Commission services;

· the use of administrative data for statistical purposes ensures that there is little additional cost burden on the fishing sector;

· the reduction in frequency of the quality reports reduces the workload for Member States;

· most of the Member States have built up their own systems of cross-checks and warnings. The increasing use of electronic methods of data collection has improved both the timeliness and accuracy of information. Further cooperation is needed between DG MARE and Eurostat concerning the exchange of views and experience on data validations and data exchanges in order to reduce double reporting of Member States ;

· the different data sources , such as the vessel monitoring system (VMS) and on-board and port inspections, ensure the consistency of the information recorded in logbooks, landing and transhipment declarations, and sales notes. These data sources represent a census of the required information;

· there are strict rules governing the deadlines for providing sales notes, logbooks and landing declarations, and these are respected in the majority of cases where the landings are made on the territory of the Member State concerned;

· the adoption of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 which sets out all the coefficients for converting stored or processed fish weight into live fish weight resolved the problems faced by Member States with the use of the conversion factors which varied from one Member State to another.

To achieve cost-effectiveness , the Commission considers that the following factors are relevant:

· the harmonisation of the formats and the planning of deadlines, and increasing data sharing and availability;

· the coordination of data collection with other Commission services;

· the coordination of developments of the data collection instruments to facilitate the quality cross-checks amongst various sources and data bases.

The above will assist in making optimum use of all available administrative sources in the fishing sector, in particular those based on monitoring, control and surveillance, which are commonly used in all the Member States. These sources represent a complete census and no statistical sampling is employed. In addition to the above, any gaps in the data coverage could be resolved through ‘ad hoc’ statistical surveys such as employment figures .

Some difficulties have been noted in collecting detailed and accurate data for artisanal vessels due to the large number of vessels and landing places. This kind of fleet engages in activities that vary considerably by season. Also, the lack of a VMS or logbook makes it more difficult to control these landings.

The Commission notes that there has been an improvement in the completeness and timeliness of the questionnaires produced compared with former reports. However, this report also indicates that further improvements are necessary to enhance the quality of the landing statistical data.

Eurostat plans to review its quality questionnaires report on landings statistics to gather more accurate information on the quality of the administrative sources used by the Member States. It also envisages that more technical support will be provided to those Member States which request it.

Concrete actions to achieve improved data will be considered to assist in minimising the response burden on Member States and avoid double reporting, thus optimising the use of Commission resources .

EUR-Lex
COM(2014)0240

The Commission presents a report on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States It remarks that fishing industries in Member States across the EU are very diverse in terms of the areas fished, the species caught and the composition of fishing fleets (including size of vessels and fishing methods). Methodologies employed for data collection reflect this diversity in the industry, so comparing situations in different Member States is challenging.

With regard to the main findings , the Commission states that the overall quantity and value of landings saw a fall across most Member States from 2007 by around 11% and 17% respectively. The largest falls from 2007 were recorded for the Netherlands (308 thousand tonnes), Germany (83 thousand tonnes) and Denmark (79 thousand tonnes). Among Member States, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and France recorded the highest values for landings. However, in terms of volume, Denmark recorded the highest landings. These are accounted for by the Danish industrial fishery's large catches of relatively low value pelagic fish.

Both Norway and Iceland recorded higher volumes of landings than any Member State, again with the majority of landings comprising just two pelagic species (43% and 63% respectively).

Across the EU as a whole, most species caught in terms of volume were pelagic (herring, sprats, blue whiting and sand eels etc.) with the only demersal species within the 10 highest volumes being cod. However, the higher-volume pelagic species tend to be of far lower value than the demersal. Nephrops (Norway lobster) is the species with the highest total value in 2008, and the next four highest-ranked species in terms of value are all demersal.

For some Member States, significant quantities of landings were reported under generic species codes. For Ireland, Greece and Italy this represented more than 5 percent of their landings. For Spain, the volumes recorded under generic codes were large, but amounted to a relatively small (less than 2%) proportion of their recorded landings. This is most probably indicative of the diverse nature of the Spanish fishing industry. The use of generic codes by Italy and Greece may also be an indicator of the diversity of landings, but also a result of the data collection methods and artisanal nature of much of their fleets.

Conclusions and recommendations : the report notes that the majority of Member States provided a detailed account of their methodologies, describing their data sources and quality checks employed. The great majority of data supplied to Eurostat are collected under mechanisms introduced for control and enforcement purposes. Eurostat relies mainly on fishermen in the first instance and on national authorities for ensuring the accuracy and quality of data.

Member States report no particular differences in methodology for information supplied to the Commission services (DG MARE and Eurostat). The reuse of data for statistical purposes ensures that there is little additional cost burden on the fishing industry. To minimise the burden on Member States providing reports to the Commission, there is increasingly close cooperation between DG MARE and DG ESTAT through the joint development of information technology solutions for data collection and dissemination.

Accurate species identification, particularly for more minor species, is an ongoing problem, as is use of generic codes for species. Eurostat is introducing new automated validation systems for data which will help to address this issue. Further investigation into the reporting of substantial quantities of fish under generic codes by some Member States is warranted.

The various administrative data sources may be cross-checked against each other for consistency. When these data sources are used in an integrated way, they can provide a comprehensive and consistent view of fishing activities. Further confidence in data quality is provided by cross-checks from surveillance activities. The increasing use of electronic methods of data collection has improved both the timeliness and accuracy of information. Work to implement systems in line with changing European requirements is ongoing in many Member States.

Lastly, the reduction in frequency of reports reduces the workload for Member States. The data continue to be a valuable source of information for formulation of policy and management of markets within the CFP framework.

COM(2010)0675
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to ensure the availability of comparable statistics required for the development and monitoring of fair and effective Community policies on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States and repealing Council Regulation 1382/91/EEC.

CONTENT: the current community legislation based on Council Regulation 1382/91/EEC on the submission of data on the landings of fishery products in Member States requires the Member States to submit to the Commission monthly data on the quantity and value of landings of fishery products in their ports. An analysis of the methods of collecting and compiling the data by the national authorities and of the uses made of such data by the Commission's services have revealed that improvements can be made which would reduce the workload on the Member States and improve the usefulness of the data.

This Regulation is shall improve and replace the existing community legislation and Council Regulation 1382/91 is therefore be repealed

The statistical data shall relate to the total quantities and unit values of the fishery products landed in the reference calendar year.

Member States shall submit the statistical data to the Commission on an annual basis in accordance with the format specified in Annex I and using the codes set out in Annexes II, III and IV. The statistical data shall be submitted within 6 months of the end of the reference calendar year.

Transitional periods for the implementation of this Regulation lasting not more than 3 years from the date of its entry into force may be granted to Member States.

The Commission shall, by 19 January 2010 and every 3 years thereafter, submit an assessment report to the European Parliament and the Council on the statistical data compiled pursuant to this Regulation and in particular on their relevance and quality. The report shall also analyse the cost-effectiveness of the system used for the collection and processing of statistical data and shall put forward best practices for reducing the workload for Member States and enhancing the usefulness and quality of the statistical data.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19/01/2007.

Regulation 2006/1921
OJ L 403 30.12.2006, p. 0001

03684/2006

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Philippe MORILLON (ALDE, FR), approving the Council's common position on the proposed regulation on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in the Member States.

T6-0536/2006

A6-0400/2006

A6-0400/2006

The committee adopted the report by its chairman, Philippe MORILLON (ALDE, FR), approving unamended - under the 2nd reading of the codecision procedure - the Council's common position on the proposed regulation on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in the Member States.

The Council has adopted a Common Position which accepts all Parliamentary amendments. A new element has been introduced however. The Council requests that implementing decisions be adopted in accordance with the new “regulatory procedure with scrutiny” as set out in Decision 2006/512/EC. For a summary of the Decision see CNS/2002/0298. This new committee procedure has to be followed to adopt measures of general scope and measures which seek to amend non-essential elements of a basic instrument adopted in accordance with Article 251 of the Treaty. This includes, inter alia , deleting some of elements by supplementing the instrument with new non-essential elements.

14283/1/2006
OJ C 301 12.12.2006, p. 0085-0093 E

To recall, the Commission accepted all of the 21 amendments proposed by Parliament at first reading. The parliament’s resolution adopts a positive approach to the proposal with the great majority of the 21 amendment being in the nature of technical and editorial clarifications.

In July 2006 the Council adopted Decision 2006/512/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission. This introduced a new procedure named the “regulatory procedure with scrutiny”. For a summary of the Decision see CNS/2002/0298. The Council’s Common Position refers to the implementing powers conferred to the Commission when the new procedure has to apply. These refer, in particular, to powers conferred on the Commission to adapt the Annexes to the Regulation, which are of “general scope”.

The Commission accepts these new provisions and expresses a favourable opinion of the Council’s Common Position, which was adopted unanimously.

COM(2006)0706
EUR-Lex

The Council has adopted a Common Position which accepts all Parliamentary amendments. A new element has been introduced however. The Council requests that implementing decisions be adopted in accordance with the new “regulatory procedure with scrutiny” as set out in Decision 2006/512/EC. For a summary of the Decision see CNS/2002/0298. This new committee procedure has to be followed to adopt measures of general scope and measures which seek to amend non-essential elements of a basic instrument adopted in accordance with Article 251 of the Treaty. This includes, inter alia , deleting some of elements by supplementing the instrument with new non-essential elements.

14283/1/2006

SP(2006)3310

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Philippe MORILLON (ALDE, FR), and made some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary of 03/05/2006.) In addition, Parliament amended the definition of "Community fishing vessels" to mean fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State and registered in the Community.

T6-0264/2006

A6-0169/2006

A6-0169/2006

The committee adopted the report by its chairman, Philippe MORILLON (ALDE, FR), broadly approving the proposed regulation on the submission of data on landings of fishery products in Member States, subject to a number of amendments under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure:

- it should be stipulated that the statistical data shall cover total landings on national territory "within the European Union", given that the national authorities do not have statistical data from their overseas areas;

- a new article provided for the Commission to report regularly to Parliament and the Council (three years after the regulation's entry into force and every three years thereafter) on the relevance and quality of the statistics compiled, including a cost-effectiveness analysis of the system used as well as reports on best practices for lessening the workload for Member States and enhancing the usefulness and quality of the data;

- the committee felt that some Member States would have difficulty in submitting data on all the intended uses provided for in Annex IV and therefore proposed that mandatory submissions be restricted to the first two categories (human consumption and industrial use), while the submission of data on the other intended uses would be made voluntary;

- MEPs added a number of missing definitions to the proposal, such as "withdrawn from the market", "bait", "animal feed", "waste", and "intended use unknown".

PE371.977

PE365.087

PURPOSE: Updating procedures for the submission of data on landings of fishery products in the Member States.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council

CONTENT: Current legislation obliges the EU Member States to submit harmonised monthly reports to the Commission on data relating to the landings of fishery products. The data provided must include the quantity and value of landings in their ports. Recent studies on the collating of fish data reveals that improvements could be made to reduce the work load on the Member State authorities. The objective of this Regulation, therefore, is to allow for improvements in the collection of data relating to the quantity and value of fish landings. Other than minor editorial changes, the proposal has the unanimous support of the national fishery statisticians.

The proposed Regulation differs from existing legislation in three main respects. Firstly, submissions are to be based on annual rather than monthly data. This is useful for a medium to long-term evaluation of the market as well as allowing for a considerable reduction in the workload of the national authorities. Secondly, submissions are to be required by the flag (or nationality) of the vessels responsible for the landings. This requirement, compared to current submission by a broader group of EU vessels (such as EFTA vessels) will permit a more detailed analysis of the data, whilst not adding significantly to the national authorities’ workload. Thirdly, a more flexible approach to the use of sampling techniques in order to estimate the total landings. In other words the national authorities will be able to employ an appropriate level of sampling techniques for the collection of data.

Given that the proposal does not fall under the exclusive competence of the Community the proposal needs to be justified according to the subsidiarity principle. According to the Commission compatibility with the subsidiarity principle is assured in that the proposed Regulation’s core objective, namely the systematic collection of data on the landing of fish products in order to produce harmonised Community statistics, could not be achieved at a national level. Action by the Member States, acting without co-ordination at a Union level, would be both inefficient and ineffective. Experience has shown that Member States collection of data on the quantities and values of landings are varied with the net result that it is difficult to compare data effectively.

Lastly, the adoption of the proposal will lead to the repealing of existing legislation. It has no impact on the Community budget.

COM(2005)0566
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: Updating procedures for the submission of data on landings of fishery products in the Member States.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council

CONTENT: Current legislation obliges the EU Member States to submit harmonised monthly reports to the Commission on data relating to the landings of fishery products. The data provided must include the quantity and value of landings in their ports. Recent studies on the collating of fish data reveals that improvements could be made to reduce the work load on the Member State authorities. The objective of this Regulation, therefore, is to allow for improvements in the collection of data relating to the quantity and value of fish landings. Other than minor editorial changes, the proposal has the unanimous support of the national fishery statisticians.

The proposed Regulation differs from existing legislation in three main respects. Firstly, submissions are to be based on annual rather than monthly data. This is useful for a medium to long-term evaluation of the market as well as allowing for a considerable reduction in the workload of the national authorities. Secondly, submissions are to be required by the flag (or nationality) of the vessels responsible for the landings. This requirement, compared to current submission by a broader group of EU vessels (such as EFTA vessels) will permit a more detailed analysis of the data, whilst not adding significantly to the national authorities’ workload. Thirdly, a more flexible approach to the use of sampling techniques in order to estimate the total landings. In other words the national authorities will be able to employ an appropriate level of sampling techniques for the collection of data.

Given that the proposal does not fall under the exclusive competence of the Community the proposal needs to be justified according to the subsidiarity principle. According to the Commission compatibility with the subsidiarity principle is assured in that the proposed Regulation’s core objective, namely the systematic collection of data on the landing of fish products in order to produce harmonised Community statistics, could not be achieved at a national level. Action by the Member States, acting without co-ordination at a Union level, would be both inefficient and ineffective. Experience has shown that Member States collection of data on the quantities and values of landings are varied with the net result that it is difficult to compare data effectively.

Lastly, the adoption of the proposal will lead to the repealing of existing legislation. It has no impact on the Community budget.

COM(2005)0566
EUR-Lex