In their final vote on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the European Parliament demonstrated again its ability to vote for responsible, science-based management. Their amendments to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the €6.5 billion subsidy package, aim to enhance stock recovery and end environmentally harmful subsidies.
This is the first time that the main body of EU fisheries legislation, the CFP, has been decided by co-decision. The Parliament has demonstrated a long-term vision that should end decades of mismanagement by Member States. The final EMFF will now be negotiated by the end of the year at the trilogue between the Parliament, Council and Commission.
Central to the proposals put forward by the Parliament plenary are significant increases in the funding for data collection and control & enforcement, 100% and 45% respectively. These measures will support the new legislation for quotas to be set according to their maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from 2015.
Moreover, MEPs resoundingly rejected proposals to fund the construction of new vessels. This would have increased catching capacity and would have impeded stock recovery. That said, proposals to fund modernised engines were voted through along with funding for temporary cessation, both of which may exacerbate issues with fleet capacity in the coming years.
Further positive proposals which will now be on the table at trilogue will be for all stakeholders to be funded to participate in advisory councils and other stakeholder bodies. The Council and Commission are also both supportive of this. In addition, conditionality clauses were voted through. This means that funding can be suspended to Member States and vessels operators who fail to comply with the regulations within the CFP.
Through the CFP reform, MEPs have demonstrated considerable appetite to reform the CFP in such a way that fish stocks are able to recover in the long-term, thus providing fishermen with sufficient resources.
Given their considerable role in the reform, it can only help EU fisheries management for the Council to end their blockade on long-term management plans and ensure that these go through the co-decision procedure. This reform has shown that more democracy is good for fish.