22.9.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 316/118

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having regard to the draft Council decision (15848/2014),

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having regard to the draft Protocol between the European Union and the Republic of Cape Verde setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Cape Verde (15849/2014),

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having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43, Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), and Article 218(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C8-0003/2015),

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having regard to Council Decision 2014/948/EU of 15 December 2014 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of the Protocol between the European Union and the Republic of Cape Verde setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Cape Verde (1),

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having regard to its legislative resolution of 9 September 2015 (2) on the draft decision,

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having regard to the evaluation and analysis of the previous Protocol,

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having regard to Rule 99(1), second subparagraph, of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A8-0200/2015),

A.

whereas the general aim of the Protocol is to enhance cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Cape Verde, thereby creating a partnership framework within which to develop a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fishery resources in the fishing zone of the Republic of Cape Verde, in the interests of both parties;

B.

whereas in the Protocol, the parties agreed to implement a strict monitoring mechanism in order to ensure sustainable exploitation of the resource; whereas this mechanism shall, in particular, be based on a quarterly exchange of data on shark catches;

C.

whereas both parties committed to fully respect all recommendations made by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT);

D.

whereas both the ICCAT and the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) defined shark species as a healthy stock, as corroborated by the scientific meeting of both parties to this Protocol;

E.

whereas the new monitoring mechanism, linked with thresholds of 30 % and 40 % of shark catches which trigger additional measures, is, in particular, a step in the right direction;

F.

whereas the implementation of sectoral support faces delays; whereas the level of achievement is satisfactory, though it is also difficult to determine the impact of European sectoral support compared with other actions carried out in the context of support programmes initiated by other development partners;

G.

whereas the need is to establish a logical intervention framework to better guide and standardise protocol assessments; whereas this should be carried out notably with regard to sectoral support;

1.

Welcomes this new fisheries protocol between the European Union and the Republic of Cape Verde, adopted in accordance with the sustainability measures of the new common fisheries policy (CFP), from both the environmental and the socioeconomic point of view;

2.

Calls on the Commission to forward to Parliament the minutes and conclusions of the meetings of the Joint Committee provided for in Article 9 of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement, as well as the multiannual sectoral programme provided for in Article 3 of the new protocol;

3.

Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament and the Council, within the last year of application of the protocol and before the opening of negotiations for its renewal, a full report on its implementation;

4.

Stresses its concern that there was a significant increase in the catch of shark species during the final years of the previous Protocol; calls on the Commission to report to Parliament on the actions taken by the Joint Committee in response to the science-based study to be carried out as described in Article 4, paragraph 6 of the Annex to the Protocol, in order to have guarantees that this fishery is exploited in a sustainable and responsible way; stresses that Parliament should also be informed about the data obtained as regards shark stocks;

5.

Calls on the Commission and the Council, acting within the limits of their respective powers, to keep Parliament immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedures related to the protocol and its renewal, pursuant to Article 13(2) of the Treaty on European Union and Article 218(10) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

6.

Requests that the Commission evaluate whether the vessels operating under the provisions of this protocol have complied with the relevant reporting requirements;

7.

Asks the Commission to communicate annually with Parliament on the additional international agreements of Cape Verde so that Parliament may monitor all fishing activities in the region, including those that may be contrary to European fisheries policy, for example, shark finning;

8.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Cape Verde.