Failure to set shared objectives undermines common fisheries policy

The European Parliament has today voted in favour of a report on the conservation of fishery resources and protection of marine ecosystems. While Green MEPs backed the successful attempt to include a ban on pulse fishing, the Greens voted against the report, which fails to establish common objectives at an EU level. The regulation will now go to trilogue negotiations.

Green MEP and shadow rapporteur Marco Affronte comments:

"It is ridiculous to have a common fisheries policy without common objectives. The decision taken today means it will be left to regional groups of member states to make up their own objectives. This risks a situation where fishers working in the North Sea will end up working under different conditions than those in the Atlantic or the Mediterranean. This would completely undermine the purpose of a common fisheries policy. This is going to be anarchy, not regionalization.

"We need a simple, modern system that is easy to understand and is consistent with the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. Instead, the parliament has signed off on a set of conditions that would provide no incentive to improve fishing techniques and could result in massive illegal discarding.

"While it is welcome that the majority of MEPs voted for a ban on pulse fishing, the proposals as a whole are beyond saving. The Commission should now drop the proposal. To proceed would be a major step backwards from the significant advances made in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy a few years ago."