Activites

• 2007/12/12 Results of vote in Parliament
  • Results of vote in Parliament
  • T6-0606/2007 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drawn up by Pedro GUERREIRO (GUE/NGL, PT) following the Commission's report of 29 September 2006 on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products. The resolution was adopted by 379 votes for, 30 against and 227 abstentions. Members welcomed the Commission's decision to undertake an in-depth evaluation of the existing COM in fisheries and aquaculture products, but regretted the delay of almost a year in submitting the evaluation report. It was necessary, as a matter of urgency, to carry out a far-reaching revision of the COM in fisheries products in order to boost its contribution to guaranteeing incomes in the sector, ensuring market stability, improving the marketing of fisheries products and increasing the value added generated. The Commission was asked submit a communication on the guidelines and a proposal for the revision of the COM in fisheries products, taking account of the proposals set out in the resolution. Parliament stressed the need to involve the main economic agents in the sector, especially fishermen and their representative organisations, in the process of revision of the COM in fisheries products, especially during the present evaluation period. The contribution of the COM in fisheries products to the sector has fallen, especially since the 2000 revision. Members felt that the reversal of this trend, notably by a significant reinforcement of financial resources, must be one of the main objectives of a future revision of the COM in fisheries products, thus enabling it to guarantee Community funding at an adequate level for the fisheries sector's needs. They noted that the existing intervention mechanisms were characterised by a high level of concentration, and called on the Commission to determine whether these mechanisms were the most suitable ones and whether they were sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the existing structures of production/marketing in the Member States, in order to improve the marketing of fish and ensure a fair income for producers. They also believed it essential to provide increased funding for the COM in fishery products in the forthcoming revision. Parliament stated that the compensatory payment for tuna should be extended, and also called on the Commission to introduce a compensatory payment for sardines, as Parliament had previously asked. The resolution stressed the importance of labelling and of accurate consumer information, with a view to boosting the quality and value added of fisheries products. Commercial designations, notably for imported products, needed to be examined and checked to ensure that consumers were not misled. The Commission was asked to accelerate the process of ecological certification of fishery products, since this was vital if competition between economic agents within and outside the EU were to take place on an equitable footing. Members emphasised the need for the Structural Funds to contribute to the modernisation and creation of support infrastructures for producers in the context of production/marketing, covering units for refrigeration, processing, transport and marketing/distribution. They also emphasised that the intervention mechanisms must take account of the increased durability of fisheries products, and called for greater support for the improvement of the on-board handling of fish, especially investment in refrigeration and packaging systems and the improvement of on-board health and safety. Parliament went on to stress the need for reinforcing the mechanisms of support, especially financial, for promoting the concentration of supply, notably via the funding of producers' organisations, and above all for small-scale coastal and traditional fisheries. The operational programmes should ensure - with suitable financial support -the possibility of the producers' organisations marketing their products directly to boost the value added of fisheries products. The Regulation should be suitably amended. Parliament also called for an amendment in order to maintain the direct link of aid to the producers' organisations in the Community budget, while also opening up the possibility of complementary aids in support of the operational programmes on the part of the Member States. The resolution recommended that the Commission should evaluate the consequences of relations with third countries, and notably the impact of imports on prices at the initial point of sale. It called on the Commission to take a firmer line in its evaluation of external trade relations, especially when activating the WTO safeguard mechanisms so as not to compromise the objectives of Article 33 of the Treaty. It was vital to ensure the application to imported fisheries products sold on the internal market of the same rules and requirements as those applied to Community fisheries products, e.g. in terms of labelling, phytosanitary rules or the prohibition on the Community market of fisheries products under the minimum sizes authorised for Community products.

• 2007/11/26 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A6-0467/2007
• 2007/11/22 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2007/06/06 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2006/09/29 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2006)0558 summary

    PURPOSE: Commission report on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products.CONTENT: the Commission presents this report following Article 41 of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000, which requires a report on the implementation of this Regulation.  It is based upon stocktaking of the application of the common organisation of the markets ("the CMO"). Moreover, the Commission services organised consultations by way of questionnaires and received responses from 22 Member States and 3 stakeholders.The CMO was the first component of the Common Fisheries Policy ("the CFP”). Ever since, it has become one of the CFP pillars. The CMO was created to provide market stability and to guarantee a fair income for producers.The current CMO laid down in Regulation 104/2000 has moved away from a mere intervention system and now lays more emphasis on sustainability-supportive fishing and marketing activities. The CMO is run on the basis of 23 implementing Regulations. The 2003 Act of Accession introduced sprat and dolphin-fish and added new marketing sizes for Baltic herring.The Commission examines in this report a number of issues, such as common marketing standards, consumer information, producer organisations, interbranch organisations, prices and intervention, and trade with third countries. The main conclusions of the report are as follows:- the policy to reduce the levels of intervention has proved to be effective. The expenses derived from withdrawals have decreased in accordance with the objectives of Regulation No 104/2000. A steady shift from wasteful withdrawals to carry-over operations can be observed. Recourse to intervention very much differs with the Member States;- the operation of the CMO has confirmed the important role of Producer Organisations. The introduction of operational programmes as a tool for balancing supply and demand has been well received by both Member States and Pos;- the introduction of inter-branch organisations was not a success. This may reflect an unsatisfactory co-operation between the different operators of the marketing chain. In 2005 there were only 4 organisations recognised in 3 Member States;- market prices have not followed trends in production costs in spite of the establishment of conservation measures and recovery plans for a number of species. This makes the balancing out of the objectives laid down in Article 33 of the Treaty even more complex;- the Community market is increasingly dependent on imports from third countries in order to satisfy the needs of consumers and processing industry.

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/', 'title': 'Maritime Affairs and Fisheries'}, BORG Joe

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2006)0558
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A6-0467/2007
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T6-0606/2007

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)