The European Parliament adopted by 568 votes to 44, with 14 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and Regulation (EU) …/2022 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) conservation and enforcement recommendations were last implemented into Union law through Regulations (EU) 2017/2107, (EU) 2023/2053 and (EU) 2023/2833 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Since the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2017/2107, ICCAT adopted at its 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 annual meetings a number of legally binding measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview. Those measures concern matters covered, inter alia , by Regulations (EU) 2017/2107 and (EU) 2023/2053.

Amendments were made to Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 in order to implement into Union law ICCAT measures for tropical tunas, Mediterranean albacore, North and South Atlantic albacore, North and South Atlantic swordfish, North and South Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, blue marlin, white marlin, roundscale spearfish, and provisions related to data collection for sailfish, data collection and reporting for billfish, blue marlin, white marlin and roundscale spearfish, by-catch of turtles, the vessel monitoring system, ICCAT regional observers, responsibilities of scientific observers and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as an updated list of ICCAT species, updated safe handling and release practices for sea turtles, the introduction of minimum standards for safe handling and live release procedures for North and South Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, and guidelines for reducing the ecological impact of fish-aggregating devices (FADs).

The amended text also amends Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 in order to implement into Union law ICCAT measures for bluefin tuna management with provisions related to definitions, quota transfers, retention prohibition, recreational fisheries, vessel lists, lists of traps and farms, ICCAT record of farms, reporting, transfers, transfer authorisations, caging identifiers, caging authorisations, caging operations and their video monitoring, control of caging, harvesting operations, harvesting control activities in the farms after caging, and enforcement, as well as national observer programmes and ICCAT regional observer programme, rules on treatment of dead or lost fish, the procedure for sealing operations of transport cages, and the template for processing declaration and harvesting declaration.

The Commission will be empowered to amend Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 by means of delegated acts in accordance with subsequent amendments adopted by ICCAT. The delegated acts provided for in this Regulation are without prejudice to the implementation of future ICCAT recommendations into Union law through the ordinary legislative procedure.

The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report by Clara AGUILERA (S&D, ES) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and Regulation (EU) .../2022 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean .

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

The report included the most updated ICCAT recommendations and consequently, many other amendments were included in order to transpose recommendations adopted during 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 annual meetings that were not transposed yet.

Amendments were made to Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 in order to implement into Union law ICCAT measures for tropical tunas, Mediterranean albacore, North and Southern Atlantic albacore, sailfish, blue and white marlin, billfish data reporting, North and South Atlantic shortfin mako shark, by-catch of turtles, and provisions related to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as an observer programme which includes responsibilities for scientific observers, and an updated list of ICCAT species.

Moreover, amendments were made to Regulation (EU) XX/2022 establishing a multiannual management plan for the bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean in order to implement into Union law bluefin tuna management provisions related to definitions, quota transfers, retention prohibition, sport and recreational fisheries, farms record, reporting, transfer authorisations, caging identifiers, caging authorisations, caging operations and their video monitoring, control of caging, harvesting control activities in the farms after caging.

PURPOSE: to transpose into Union law the amendments to the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) at its annual meetings in 2006, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

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

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Union has been a Contracting Party to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (the ‘ICCAT Convention’) since 14 November 1997.

The ICCAT Convention establishes a framework for regional cooperation on the conservation and management of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas through the creation of ICCAT. ICCAT has the authority to adopt decisions (recommendations) on the conservation and management of fisheries under its purview, which are binding on the contracting parties.

CONTENT: this proposal concerns a number of amendments following ICCAT recommendations adopted in 2006, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 which need to be transposed into Union law.

The proposal amends Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 taking into account the most recent ICCAT recommendations on the following measures which are not yet transposed into Union law: measures on tropical tunas, northern and southern albacore, sailfish, blue and white marlin, billfish data reporting, shortfin mako sharks, as well as health and safety of observers in ICCAT regional observer programmes, responsibilities of scientific observers and updating the list of ICCAT species.

In addition, the proposal foresees amending the Regulation on the Multi-annual plan for the Bluefin Tuna with the Member States declaration on annual carry-over and certain caging provisions, as well as annual carry-over of bigeye tuna.

It is also proposed to amend the power of the Commission to amend Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 in line with subsequent amendments adopted by ICCAT.