What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Removed:21. Calls for an action plan that, along with the CFP, contributes to productivity growth, a decent standard of living in the fisheries sector, including the small-scale fisheries sector, and stable markets, and that ensures the availability of food without compromising food security or the sovereignty gap;

Added:36. Notes with concern that the Commission is increasingly using non-binding instruments, such as communications, which are commonly referred to as ‘soft law’, to present very concrete policy measures without following up with legislative proposals; considers that any uncertainty between the intended legal meaning of the communications presented and their actual legal effect is likely to affect legal certainty and predictability for the sector, as well as raise legal questions regarding institutional balance and the limits and exercise of EU competences; believes, therefore, that Commission communications should not be used to put forward binding measures;

Removed:22. Welcomes the Commission’s call for data collection on the impact of recreational fisheries, but underlines the need to also consider the economic and social impacts of sustainable recreational fishing activities;

Added:37. Regrets that communication from the Commission and, in particular, from DG MARE and DG ENV, has included conflicting statements regarding the binding effects of the action plan; calls on DG MARE and DG ENV to listen more closely to the specific characteristics of the fisheries sector before preparing or proposing joint initiatives;

Added:Socioeconomic aspects and food security

Added:38. Supports the Commission President’s 2023 State of the Union address, declaring that for every new piece of legislation a competitiveness check would be conducted; requests that the action plan, all fisheries-related legislative proposals and other initiatives include a competitiveness check for their socioeconomic impact on the different activities and their effect on coastal communities, as well as on the recreational fisheries sector and the cumulative effect on the availability of food supply;

Added:39. Regrets the fact that the action plan is not accompanied by a socioeconomic study, impact assessment with a scientific analysis or an intermediary report and does not propose any kind of additional financing measures for the green and energy transitions; brings to the attention of the Commission the fact that strategic documents, such as this action plan, should be presented to the different stakeholders and take account of their views in a more coordinated and clear way, and should include full environmental, social, economic and legal assessments of their implementation; calls for all necessary means, including incentives and compensatory mechanisms, to be put in place for a just and balanced transition;

Added:40. Highlights that the action plan should contribute equally to the pillars of sustainability in the CFP (environmental, social and economic) and, among other things, contribute to productivity growth, decent working conditions in the sector, in particular for small-scale fisheries, and stable markets, ensure food-safe, qualitative and sustainable products without compromising food security and autonomy, allowing fishers to make full use of the fishing quotas allocated to them, and contribute to environmental recovery and protection to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts;

Added:41. Welcomes the Commission’s call for data to be collected on the impact of recreational fisheries, but underlines the need to also consider the economic and social impacts of sustainable recreational fishing activities; considers that recreational fisheries may offer excellent opportunities to foster the ‘citizen science’ approach;

International action and reciprocity

Change 12

Removed:23. Considers it essential that any restrictions, whether based on the action plan or not, should be automatically mirrored in the case of products imported from non-EU countries, especially given that the EU imports 70 % of the fish it consumes, to ensure consistency between internal and external policies, and a level playing field between EU and non-EU operators;

Added:42. Considers the UN High Seas Treaty to be a significant achievement at the international level for the protection of the oceans; regrets, however, that the action plan does not insist enough on the need to include reciprocity in international agreements; considers it therefore essential that, at international level, the EU work with other counterparts to implement rules with objectives and goals similar to the ones set by the CFP, especially Article 28(2)(d) thereof, the European Green Deal and the SDGs;

Removed:24. Stresses that mobile bottom-fishing gear catches account for 25 % of total European catches and that effective measures on bottom trawling at EU level should not lead to an increase in imports, especially if foreign fleets use bottom trawling gear;

Added:43. Emphasises the importance of the EU working with developing countries, in particular the countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, to prepare for the future development of renewable marine energy by sharing the EU’s expertise in marine planning and industrial development; calls for the EU to scale up capacity building and financing for developing countries for improving ocean and coastal management, developing ocean economy strategies, bridging governance gaps and tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and illicit trade in marine resources; underlines the importance of coming up with responses that meet local needs for zero-emission energy, that ensure marine ecosystems are protected and that preserve traditional activities such as fishing; stresses the importance of involving coastal communities in the implementation of these actions; highlights further the importance of supporting sustainable fishing practices in the outermost regions, based on the sustainable use of marine resources and management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, as a way to ensure the long-term socioeconomic development of these regions;

Removed:Exemplarity of the fisheries sector

Added:44. Calls for the EU to promote transparency in fisheries and other extractive industries at sea in partner countries, as it is key to stopping overfishing, biodiversity loss and human rights violations; stresses that coastal developing countries can implement the standards outlined in the Fisheries Transparency Initiative and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to improve transparency;

Removed:25. Supports the fisheries sector’s ongoing efforts to improve fishing techniques and reduce its environmental impact without waiting for the Commission’s action plans; highlights the positive examples of restoring species stocks in protected areas while maintaining fishing activities, thanks to the major role played by fisheries stakeholders;

Added:45. Asks that any restrictions, whether based on the action plan or not, should be automatically mirrored for products imported from non-EU countries, especially given the fact that the EU imports 70 % of the fish it consumes; stresses that it is essential to ensure consistency between internal and external policies, as well as a level playing field between EU and non-EU operators;

Removed:Delegated acts in the action plan

Added:46. Notes that mobile bottom gear catches account for 25 % of total European catches; believes that new management rules, in particular limitations or restrictions on the use of fishing techniques at EU level, should not pose a risk to food security, nor lead to an increase in imports of fishing products, and even less so if these products are captured using fishing gears with limited or restricted use in the EU;

Removed:26. Recalls that it rejected the delegated act on SIOFA and reaffirms its commitment to scrutinising any incoming delegated or implementing acts linked to the action plan;

Added:Working with the fisheries sector

Added:47. Supports the fisheries sector’s ongoing efforts to improve the selectivity of fishing techniques and to reduce its environmental impact; highlights the positive examples of restoring species stocks in protected areas while maintaining fishing activities; supports further efforts to boost co-management arrangements where local stakeholders take responsibility for sustainable management and invest more in research, innovation and the development of new fishing gears and techniques; highlights the role of fishers as ‘guardians of the sea’, their commitment to restoring fish stocks and their contribution to the recovery of marine ecosystems;

Added:48. Notes that, according to the Commission, tangible progress towards more sustainable fisheries on the ground has been achieved over the last decades thanks to the CFP; highlights, however, that this recovery has come at high costs for most fishing communities;

Added:49. Highlights the importance of including all relevant stakeholders, from fishers to civil society representatives, in the decision-making process and implementation of actions that contribute to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, and that can support sustainable and resilient fisheries;

Added:50. Stresses that particular attention should be paid to gender equality and women’s empowerment in view of the crucial role of women and young people, especially in the sustainable ocean-based economy and marine conservation areas;

°

° °

51. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.