91999E0861

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0861/99

by Carlos Coelho (PPE) to the Commission

(26 March 1999)

Subject: Common fisheries policy

The Commission has recently submitted a draft regulation establishing a list of the types of behaviour which constitute a serious infringement of the rules of the common fisheries policy (CFP).

An analysis of that list shows that no reference is made to failure to comply with the multiannual guidance programmes for fisheries (MGPs), which lay down objectives for each of the Member States aimed at adapting the capacity of the fleet to fishery resources. The fact that some Member States (such as Portugal) have been complying with the programmes and reducing their fleets while others (such as France, the Netherlands and Italy) are not only failing to reduce their fleets but are in fact expanding them has given rise to a totally unacceptable distortion of competition, which stems from the absence of penalties against those countries which are in breach of their obligations.

For that reason, Parliament recommended in the Cunha report (A4-0046/98)(1) that the Commission should introduce a body of rules designed to put pressure on Member States to meet the targets set in the MGPs and penalise those which failed to do so.

Given that this issue involves behaviour which constitutes a serious breach of the rules of the common fisheries policy, with the result that countries which comply are penalised whilst failure to abide by Community rules is rewarded, why has the Commission not yet acted on Parliament's recommendation, will it do so and on what timescale?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(21 April 1999)

The Commission agrees that appropriate actions, including penalties, should be pursued by the Commission against Member States that do not meet the objectives of the multi-annual guidance programmes (MAGPs) for the fishing fleet, as recommended by the Parliament in the report drafted by Mr Cunha.

Many of these recommendations were taken into account in the Commission proposal for a Council regulation laying down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector(2), which explicitly states that certain sanctions may be taken if the MAGPs are not respected. This proposal is currently being considered by the Council.

(1) OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 278.

(2) OJ C 16, 21.1.1999.