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having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and in particular Articles 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 38, 39, 43 and 349,

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the common fisheries policy (CFP) (1),

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having regard to Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning (Maritime Spatial Planning Directive) (2),

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having regard to its resolution of 22 November 2012 on small-scale coastal fishing, artisanal fishing and the reform of the common fisheries policy (3),

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having regard to its resolution of 21 January 2021 on More fish in the seas? Measures to promote stock recovery above the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), including fish recovery areas and marine protected areas (4),

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having regard to its resolution of 18 May 2021 on securing the objectives of the landing obligation under Article 15 of the Common Fisheries Policy (5),

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having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2021 on ‘the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives’  (6),

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having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 on ‘Fishers for the future: Attracting a new generation of workers to the fishing industry and generating employment in coastal communities’  (7),

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having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2021 on a farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system (8),

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having regard to its resolution of 5 April 2022 on the future of fisheries in the Channel, North Sea, Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean in the light of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (9),

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having regard to its resolution of 7 June 2022 on the implementation of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation (10),

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having regard to its resolution of 19 January 2023 on the small-scale fisheries situation in the EU and future perspectives (11),

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having regard to the Council Resolution of 3 November 1976 on certain external aspects of the creation of a 200-mile fishing zone in the Community with effect from 1 January 1977  (12) (1976 Hague Resolution), and in particular Annex VII thereto,

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 10 October 2007 entitled ‘An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union’ (COM(2007)0575),

—

having regard to the Commission communication of 20 May 2020 entitled ‘EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives’ (COM(2020)0380),

—

having regard to the Commission Communication of 21 February 2023 entitled on ‘The common fisheries policy today and tomorrow: a Fisheries and Oceans Pact towards sustainable, science-based, innovative and inclusive fisheries management’ (COM(2023)0103),

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having regard to the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) report of 26 September 2019 entitled ‘Social data in the EU fisheries sector (STECF 19-03)’,

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having regard to the STECF report of 10 December 2020 entitled ‘Social dimension of the CFP (STECF 20-14)’,

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having regard to the study conducted for the Committee on Fisheries of July 2021 entitled ‘Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture’,

—

having regard to the STECF report of 8 December 2021 entitled ‘The 2021 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet (STECF 21-08)’,

—

having regard to maritime economic paper No 8/2020 of 9 March 2021 entitled ‘The EU fishing fleet 2020: Trends and economic results’ produced by the Commission Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries,

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having regard to the report of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Commission, of 7 October 2022, entitled ‘Climate change and the common fisheries policy’  (13),

—

having regard to the 2017 World Bank report on ‘The Sunken Billions Revisited - Progress and Challenges in Global Marine Fisheries’,

—

having regard to the opinion of the Galician Fisheries Council of 8 February 2022 on the review of the Common Fisheries Policy,

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having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A9-0357/2023),

A.

whereas given that Parliament has already expressed its views on several specific features of the CFP, this report builds on previous sectoral reports and provides an overall political assessment of the functioning of the CFP and a reflection on the future outlook, focusing in particular on the conservation of living marine resources and the management of fisheries under the CFP;

B.

whereas Article 39 TFEU requires that the CFP, in all its areas, particularly the conservation of marine biological resources, must among other things, ensure a fair standard of living for the fishing community and assure availability of supplies (food security); whereas Article 11 TFEU also stipulates that ‘environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Union’s policies and activities, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development’;

C.

whereas the CFP seeks to ensure ‘that fishing and aquaculture activities are environmentally sustainable in the long-term and are managed in a way that is consistent with the objectives of achieving economic, social and employment benefits’; whereas the CFP also includes the objective of contributing to the ‘availability of food supplies’ and mentions the objectives of implementing ‘the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management so as to ensure that negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised’, of contributing ‘to a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities, bearing in mind coastal fisheries and socio-economic aspects’ and of promoting ‘coastal fishing activities, taking into account socio-economic aspects’;

D.

whereas achieving conservation of exploited stocks and the environmental objectives of the CFP overall would not be sufficient to conclude that the CFP has succeeded;

E.

whereas it is appropriate to keep a balance between the three pillars of sustainability and to address gaps in the social dimension of the CFP;

F.

whereas the CFP must also contribute to the supply of sustainable food to the EU market and to reducing the EU market’s dependence on food imports;

G.

whereas food security is one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs); whereas fish protein has extraordinary strategic value and is essential for food security; whereas capture fisheries are among the lowest impact systems for the production of animal protein;

H.

whereas the Commission has identified the need to produce more food from the oceans as a strategic objective; whereas a report by the High Level Scientific Group in 2017, appointed by the then Commissioner Karmenu Vella, recommends ‘mainstream[ing] a “food from the ocean” paradigm of responsible culture and capture into broad EU and global systems-level policy agendas’;

I.

whereas EU fisheries represent a strategic sector for the EU, providing a substantial number of direct and indirect jobs in fishing and coastal areas, help ensure food security and maintain a sustainable economy by linking employment and people’s livelihoods to the territory and to the maintenance of cultural traditions;

J.

whereas fishing creates jobs both at sea and on land; whereas some regions rely on landings happening locally to ensure the viability of many businesses and to maintain lively coastal communities;

K.

whereas aquatic food producers and related industries play a vital role for society and for the communities they support;

L.

whereas fishing makes an indispensable contribution to food security in the EU;

M.

whereas the objectives of ensuring the food supply from EU fisheries and of ensuring a fair standard of living should play a more prominent role in the decision-making process;

N.

whereas a healthy European fisheries sector is essential to reduce dependence on third countries, such as China, when it comes to the EU’s food supply;

O.

whereas the ocean must be recognised as a common good of humanity in international negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations;

P.

whereas the EU should promote the objectives of the CFP internationally, establishing a level playing field and cooperating with third countries and international organisations in order to improve compliance with international rules, including measures to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge;

Q.

whereas there is a need to determine a fishery resource management policy that upholds collective access to fishery resources, is based primarily on their biological aspects and amounts to a fisheries co-management system that takes account of the specific conditions of fishery resources and the respective sea areas, with the effective participation of those working in the sector;

R.

whereas in its Communication on ‘The common fisheries policy today and tomorrow: a Fisheries and Oceans Pact towards sustainable, science-based, innovative and inclusive fisheries management’, the Commission proposes that the CFP be implemented better rather than revised;

S.

whereas, when adopting successive regional multiannual plans starting in 2016, the European Parliament and the Council decided to require the use of MSY-based fishing mortality levels only for the main target stocks; whereas these plans also provide for some necessary additional flexibility in these mortality reference levels, notably to take into account the interactions between stocks and fisheries (choke species effects); whereas, in the multiannual plan for the Western Mediterranean, the legislator decided furthermore to postpone the deadline for application of MSY-based fishing mortality levels to 2025;

T.

whereas scientists recognise that achieving MSY for all stocks simultaneously is, in practice, impossible;

U.

whereas the health of fish stocks varies between different EU waters;

V.

whereas fisheries management measures adopted under the CFP are bearing fruit, as the number of fish stocks exploited at sustainable levels is increasing, making higher yields possible for stocks that were overexploited;

W.

whereas the EU did not meet the 2020 deadline to achieve the MSY exploitation rate for all fishing stocks; whereas, however, considerable progress has been made towards achieving the MSY target, particularly in the north-east Atlantic and Baltic Sea, where in 2020, 99 % of landings that are managed solely by the EU and for which scientific advice was available, were ‘sustainably managed stocks’;

X.

whereas the EU has committed itself to delivering on the UN 2030 Agenda, which includes SDG 14 ‘to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’;

Y.

whereas the 2013 CFP review led to a major paradigm shift in decades of fisheries management, by requiring all catches, particularly those of species out of quotas or of undersized fish, to be kept on board vessels and landed; whereas, however, this tool, which was designed to contribute to the implementation of the objective of the progressive elimination of discards of unwanted catches in fisheries, seems to have become an objective in itself;

Z.

whereas the landing obligation makes many mixed fisheries unprofitable, notably because fishers have to sort out and store low-value or non-marketable fish on board, increasing labour, reducing resting time and storage space on board; whereas the landing obligation also risks resulting in under-utilisation of rightful fishing opportunities for some stocks, since vessels have to stop any fishing activity once their quota for one stock (choke species) has been exhausted;

AA.

whereas the level of unwanted catches is highly variable across different fisheries; whereas the implementation of the various flexibilities foreseen in Article 15 of the CFP Basic Regulation has led to numerous complex, ever changing and uncontrollable sets of derogations to the landing obligation;

AB.

whereas the most successful policies towards reduction and elimination of discarding around the world have been implemented through gradual approaches, where the policy has evolved by learning from experience;

AC.

whereas new techniques with selective fishing gear are necessary for sustainable fishing, which also ensures good yields;

AD.

whereas the CFP and the Technical Measures Regulation go hand in hand and, therefore, a review of this regulation is also needed to facilitate the authorisation of innovative gear;

AE.

whereas the number of total allowable catches (TACs) should be adapted to those that are necessary to manage fisheries as a whole; whereas ICES has indicated that a number of TACs could be eliminated from the EU system without undermining the overall management of fishery resources (14);

AF.

whereas the principle of relative stability, first set out in the CFP Basic Regulation of 1982 and implemented by the TACs and Quota Regulation of 1983, laid down a distributional key of the TAC by Member State based on the allocation principles of historical catches (1973-1978), as enshrined in the Hague preferences of 1976;

AG.

whereas relative stability is of great importance for the predictability and continuity of the fishing fleet in the European Union;

AH.

whereas Brexit has affected the distribution of fishing rights in the EU and has had a socio-economic impact;

AI.

whereas the EU must deliver on the Paris Agreement goals to fight climate change and to be climate-neutral by 2050, as well as to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO)commitments, while creating jobs and sustainable growth in a manner that does not threaten food production, food supply and food security;

AJ.

whereas, although fishing is not the activity that generates the most accidents, of all maritime vessels, fishing vessels are those most often involved; whereas in 2018 a 40 % increase in the number of incidents involving fishing vessels was recorded compared with the previous year;

AK.

whereas, despite this, it has shown a downward trend, with the vast majority of incidents being the result of human factors (62,4 %) with system/equipment failures being the second most common cause (23,2 %); whereas the three most frequently reported factors contributing to accidents on fishing vessels related to human actions are a lack of safety awareness, a lack of knowledge and inadequate working methods among on board personnel; whereas all these factors cannot be addressed separately from the profitability of the fishing sector, which needs to be secured in order for it to be able to invest further in safe working conditions;

AL.

whereas 32 000 lives are lost every year in the fisheries sector globally, not to mention the thousands of victims of accidents; whereas furthermore, as has also been pointed out by professional organisations, occupational diseases among those engaged in this laborious activity have increased alarmingly in recent years;

AM.

whereas fishing is an arduous occupation involving serious risks to the health and safety of those engaged in it; whereas the International Labour Organization recognised this problem in a convention dating back to 2007 and called on the countries that have ratified it to guarantee safe and healthy working conditions in this sector; acknowledges that the well-being of workers on board fishing vessels is essential for the future of the industry;

AN.

whereas it should be highlighted that maritime fisheries activities play an important part in improving living standards for fishing communities;

AO.

whereas, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) offers financial support to move towards more sustainable fishing, including support to increase the energy efficiency of fishing vessels or to innovate towards low impact fishing gear;

AP.

whereas, however, this support is not sufficient; whereas the restrictions on fishing capacity, as well as the narrow margins that some Member States have within their national ceilings, do not allow for the improvement of safety, working and living conditions on board fishing vessels; whereas new carbon-free propulsion systems require more space on-board than traditional engines and fuel tanks;

AQ.

whereas the CFP Basic Regulation provides that multiannual plans (MAPs) must be adopted as a priority; whereas this approach has undoubtedly contributed to better management of resources and to relative certainty for the sector;

AR.

whereas certain stocks straddle sea areas covered under the scope of different regional MAPs, hence the need for consistent measures across their whole distribution range;

AS.

whereas the CFP is not yet fully implemented and some of its measures, such as the establishment of fish stock recovery areas, have not been used;

AT.

whereas regionalisation offers a unique opportunity to avoid micro-management from Brussels and to adapt the decision making process to regional and local specificities, traditional structures (such as ‘cofradias’) and particular activities (such as fishing on foot and shellfish gathering);

AU.

whereas early and effective consultation and involvement of the sectors concerned is fundamental for good, workable, fair, well-accepted and successful legislation, and its implementation and compliance; whereas, in this context, the role of advisory councils (ACs) is vital and their advice is of crucial importance in the decision-making process;

AV.

whereas ACs have the potential to evolve into pivotal bodies in results-based management or co-management;

AW.

whereas, while the Commission regularly publishes ex post analysis on the economic situation of the EU fishing fleets, its initiatives for strategies or legislation related to fisheries management often lack a proper ex ante socio-economic assessment;

AX.

whereas science, fishermen’s experience and full impact assessments guarantee an objective basis for decision-making and decisions based on them are more robust and more readily accepted by the sectors concerned;

AY.

whereas fisheries and aquaculture are relatively small economic sectors but are strategic ones on account of their socio-economic and food security role, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent international geopolitical developments;

AZ.

whereas the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 includes the objective of reducing the negative impacts of fisheries and extraction activities on sensitive marine habitats and species, including the seabed, with a view to achieving good environmental status;

BA.

whereas objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy include the reduction of by-catch of species to a level that allows their recovery and conservation;

BB.

whereas purely plant-based products are already being marketed in the internal market under the trade name ‘fish’ or as various fish species;

BC.

whereas both small-scale and artisanal fishers and the shellfish sector play a strategic role in the availability of food supply and have a vital socio-economic role in many coastal communities;

BD.

whereas small-scale fishing, including artisanal fishing, has specific characteristics and challenges;

BE.

whereas the CFP and the resulting regulations might not cater adequately for the specific characteristics of small-scale and artisanal fishing and in those cases might fail to provide the right, sufficient or necessary response to several of the problems they are currently facing;

BF.

whereas professional maritime activities in general are considered high risk and dangerous, particularly fishing, where 85 % of EU vessels are small-scale coastal vessels (less than 12 meters in total length) and are, therefore, exposed to even greater risks caused by adverse weather conditions and by operating close to shore;

BG.

whereas, additionally, small-scale coastal vessels have more difficulty providing protective spaces and improving working conditions with risks also associated with the advanced age of a significant proportion of this fleet;

BH.

whereas, furthermore, the recent challenges such as Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have severely impacted small-scale fisheries in particular;

BI.

whereas the EMFAF Regulation defines ‘small-scale coastal fishing’ as fishing activities carried out by marine and inland fishing vessels of an overall length of less than 12 metres and not using towed gear and also by fishers on foot, including shellfish gatherers; whereas this is the only definition of small-scale coastal fishing existing in EU legislation;

BJ.

whereas, in numerous Member States and international forums the defining characteristics of small-scale fishing go beyond the EMFAF definition, as a range of additional criteria apply, including with regard to gear allowed, the maximum vessel length, engine power, maximum duration of fishing trips, the distance from port at which vessels can operate, area of operation, maximum allowed travel time and vessel ownership;

BK.

whereas the Council is responsible for setting fishing opportunities, which are then allocated to the Member States following the principle of relative stability; whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Member States are responsible for allocating fishing opportunities to the different fleets;

BL.

whereas, according to Article 17 of the CFP, when allocating the fishing opportunities available to them, Member States shall use transparent and objective criteria including those of an environmental, social and economic nature and they shall endeavour to provide incentives to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact;

BM.

whereas there may be large differences between the sectors in different countries, with the result that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not desirable;

BN.

whereas according to the latest STECF assessment on the social dimension of the CFP, only 16 out of 23 coastal Member States replied to the Commission’s request to inform it of the allocation method used; whereas several of those responses were of limited use as they contained only broad descriptions of the national fishing fleet or simply highlighted their intended allocations without outlining the ‘transparent and objective’ criteria used;

BO.

whereas on various occasions Parliament has called on the Commission and the Member States to provide dedicated supportive measures for the small-scale coastal fisheries sector;

BP.

whereas the EMFAF provides financial support for young fishers starting up fishing activities, while there is no subsequent guarantee for acquiring fishing opportunities;

BQ.

whereas producers’ organisations play a key role in the implementation and enforcement of the objectives of the CFP and the CMO for fisheries and aquaculture;

BR.

whereas other traditional structures, such as guilds, are also key players in the food systems of some Member States, where they operate as not-for-profit social economy entities representing the fisheries sector, and especially the small-scale coastal fleet and shellfish gatherers, performing co-governance functions for the benefit of maritime fishing and workers in the fisheries sector, as well as carrying out business-related tasks, such as marketing products and providing advisory and management services;

BS.

whereas the public perception of the fishing sector still includes negative stereotypes about fishing activity on marine life, despite the sector’s efforts, successes and continued willingness to improve fisheries sustainability; whereas this negative perception influences aquatic food consumption patterns and job attractiveness in an EU fishing sector that is also facing a huge challenge in generational renewal;

BT.

whereas generational renewal depends on the attractiveness of the sector and that younger generations aspire to work in sustainable and profitable sectors;

BU.

whereas fishing is universally considered a risky profession, compounded by the arduous nature of the work on fishing boats and unpredictable incomes; whereas these are significant factors in younger people’s lack of interest in the profession, thereby jeopardising generational renewal in the fisheries sector and the future of the fishing sector as a whole;

BV.

whereas improving fishers’ living and working conditions and safety is an overarching social objective, essential to attract young people and achieve generational renewal;

BW.

whereas young people who want to start their own business as fishers face significant barriers;

BX.

whereas the CFP tools that can help to improve the attractiveness of fishing and aquaculture as a profession are insufficient;

BY.

whereas the CFP does not mention major societal concerns such as climate change, Brexit, the Green Deal, the energy crisis or address the impact on food security of the growing number of marine protected areas, the expansion of off-shore renewable energy sites and the energy transition;

BZ.

whereas, even so, the majority of Member States and the EU’s economic partners in the fishing industry often refer to the income insecurity of fishing activities in some sectors, which is a factor in young people’s lack of interest in fishing, a trend that has been rising in recent years, and which creates additional difficulties in maintaining activities troubled by job losses in coastal communities;

CA.

whereas, even so, the majority of the Member States and the EU’s economic partners in the fishing industry often refer to young people’s lack of interest in fishing, a fact which was first acknowledged at least two decades ago, and which creates additional difficulties in the industry as a whole and exacerbates social problems in coastal communities both in continental Europe and overseas regions;

CB.

whereas a significant number of people working in the fisheries sector are women, most are employed in activities on land, often informally, supporting sea-based activities, particularly in the case of small-scale fishing; whereas despite their significant contribution to the sector, the role of women is still not sufficiently recognised;

CC.

whereas combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing helps ensure a level playing field for fair competition between the EU and certain foreign fleets with lower social and environmental standards that potentially undermine the competitiveness of EU producers when selling their products on the EU market; whereas, however, anti-IUU legislation alone cannot ensure a level playing field;

CD.

whereas defending and promoting the EU’s model of sustainability is perfectly compatible with defence of the EU sectors, and should go hand in hand with the defence of the EU sectors’ interests;

CE.

whereas joint enterprises with EU capital play a role in disseminating the CFP’s values and sustainability objectives, as well as an important role in development cooperation with third countries, contributing to improving the economy, working conditions and food security in the countries where they are based;

CF.

whereas fisheries played a very prominent role in the campaign in the run-up to the referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the EU in 2016;

CG.

whereas the increases in the autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for tuna loins have benefited the Chinese industry, which does not guarantee traceability information and relies on subsidies;

CH.

whereas the outermost regions (ORs) face specific challenges linked to their remoteness, topography, small markets and climate as referred to in Article 349 TFEU; whereas the specific characteristics of fisheries in the ORs are insufficiently taken into account in the CFP;

CI.

whereas artisanal fishing in the ORs is a major economic driver, a source of food sovereignty and a traditional activity that is part of the culture of these territories, which creates jobs at sea and in the processing sector and contributes to the dynamism of the tourist industry, which is an important economic engine of these regions;

CJ.

whereas, in order to ensure the survival of the fisheries sector in the ORs and in compliance with the principles of differential treatment for small islands and territories mentioned in SDG 14, it should be possible to support, on the basis of Article 349 TFEU, the renewal of the ORs’ artisanal fishing vessels which land all their catches in ports in the ORs and contribute to local sustainable development;

CK.

whereas the indicators to establish whether the fishing capacity is in balance with the available fishing opportunities are not adapted to the characteristics of the ORs’ local fleets;

CL.

whereas the ORs’ special characteristics and permanent structural constraints need to be acknowledged and considered; stresses that the fisheries sector plays an important role in the socio-economic situation, in employment and in the promotion of the economic and social cohesion of these regions, and that there is potential for employment growth in the sustainable blue economy; highlights that geographical location puts outermost regions in a privileged position in the monitoring and control of coastal and oceanic areas and should be used for the EU’s efforts to fight IUU fishing;

CM.

whereas climate change is a major challenge for the conservation of aquatic resources and for the future livelihoods of operators who depend on fisheries;

CN.

whereas fishers are victims of climate change;

CO.

whereas climate change has a major direct impact on marine species by altering their abundance, diversity and migration patterns and affecting their feeding, development and reproduction, as well as relations between species; whereas these changes have an impact on the CFP and the management of EU waters;

CP.

whereas the resilience and good health of marine ecosystems is essential both for climate regulation and for the conservation of fish stocks;

CQ.

whereas the preservation and regeneration of blue carbon ecosystems is essential for the resilience of coastal communities and the fisheries sector;