The European Parliament adopted by 353 votes to 214, with 55 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down conservation, management and control measures applicable in the area covered by the Convention on future multilateral cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1899/85 and Regulation (EU) No 1236/2010.

The proposed Regulation: (a) lays down conservation and management measures and implements into Union law the amendments to the Scheme of Control and Enforcement adopted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (the NEAFC Scheme); (b) establishes measures for certain pelagic fisheries in the Convention Area and Union waters of the Committee for Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries (CECAF) area.

The position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure is as follows:

Marking of gear

Fishing gear used by Union fishing vessels in the Regulatory Area should be marked in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 and generally accepted international standards, in particular the Convention on Conduct of Fishing Operations in the North Atlantic, signed in London on 1 June 1967. It should be prohibited to deploy fishing gear that is not marked, if marking is required, or if the marking does not meet the requirements referred to in paragraph 1. NEAFC fisheries inspectors may remove and dispose of fishing gear with non-compliant marking, as well as fish that are found in the gear.

Waste from fishing vessels and retrieval of lost gear

Any deliberate abandonment or discarding of fishing gear, and any discharge of waste from ships should be the responsibility of the master. Union fishing vessels should notify the competent authorities of their flag Member State within 24 hours about the required information in those cases where the lost gear cannot be retrieved.

Member States should undertake to retrieve on a regular basis lost fixed gear belonging to vessels flying their flag. If gear is retrieved that has not been reported as lost, the Member State or other Contracting Party that retrieved the gear may recover the cost from the master of the vessel that has lost the gear.

Infringement procedures

Where infringement of NEAFC rules is recorded in the inspection report, the inspecting Member State should either take appropriate enforcement measures or notify, by email, the designated authorities of the flag Member State or flag Contracting Party of the inspected fishing vessel about the intention to transfer the proceedings. That procedure should be without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the inspecting Member State, flag Member State or flag Contracting Party to enforce their own law and to the jurisdiction of the flag State regarding fishing activities within the Regulatory Area.

Remote surveillance

In landing and processing facilities where more than 3 000 tonnes of certain pelagic stocks are weighed per calendar year and where landings above 10 tonnes of those stocks occur, thus excluding small-scale coastal and artisanal fishing, only landings and weighing of landings above 10 tonnes should be monitored through camera and sensor technologies . All landings should be counted to determine the threshold of 3 000 tonnes. Member States should make publicly available the list of ports that meet those conditions. The Commission should be empowered to adjust those thresholds and the methods for calculating them if adjustments and precisions are made to these aspects in future agreements reached between coastal States or within the framework of NEAFC.

The implementation of remote surveillance of landings can benefit from support under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund established by Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report Francisco GUERREIRO (Greens/EFA, PT) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down conservation, management and control measures applicable in the area covered by the Convention on future multilateral cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1899/85 and Regulation (EU) No 1236/2010.

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:

Subject matter

The proposed regulation lays down conservation and management measures and implements the amendments to the Scheme of control and enforcement adopted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (the NEAFC Scheme). It applies notwithstanding the obligations set out in existing regulations in the fisheries sector, in particular Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2017/2403, Council Regulations (EC) No 1005/2008 and (EC) No 1224/2009.

Marking of gear

It should be prohibited to deploy fishing gear that is not marked, if marking is required, or if the marking contravenes the relevant requirements. NEAFC fisheries inspectors may remove and dispose of a fishing gear with non-compliant marking. According to Members, the fish that are found in the gear should be donated to charitable organisations or organisations that benefit public interest and, if not fit for human consumption, disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law.

Waste from fishing vessels and retrieval of lost gear

Masters of Union fishing vessels should be legally responsible for ensuring that they do not deliberately abandon or discard fishing gear or discharge any kind of waste from their ships into the sea. Member States should undertake to retrieve on a regular basis lost fixed gears belonging to vessels flying their flag. If gear is retrieved that has not been reported as lost, the Member State or other Contracting Party that retrieved the gear may recover the cost from the master of the vessel that has lost the gear.

Control of notified and authorised Union fishing vessels

The amended text stated that Member States should send by electronic means to the Commission the information of all fishing vessels flying their flag and registered in the Union which they intend to authorise to conduct fishing activities in the Regulatory Area. This information should be sent by 15 December each year for the following year or in any case not later than 15 days before the vessel’s entry into the Regulatory Area.

NEAFC port inspectors and officials

Member States should notify, 15 days prior to be effective, any changes in the lists referred to the European Fisheries Control Agency, which in turn should forward them without delay to the NEAFC Secretariat with the Commission in copy.

Remote surveillance

Port Member States should ensure surveillance by camera and sensor technologies at landing and processing facilities for landings exceeding 10 tonnes and where more than 3 000 tonnes per year , in total, of herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting are weighed. For that purpose, Member States should make publicly available a list of their ports that meet those thresholds and where those requirements are to apply.

New Annex

Members added a new Annex (Annex VI a) which includes a list of codes of production from or presentation, preservation state of the resources, type of packing or container to be used in the production logbook. The Commission should be empowered to adopt delegated acts concerning measures adopted by NEAFC regarding this list of codes.