Activities of José BLANCO LÓPEZ related to 2016/2230(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto PDF (352 KB) DOC (51 KB)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas this is the first EU-Cook Islands FPA, which guarantees a European presence in the waters of the eastern Pacific following the non-renewal of the agreement with Kiribati (and the agreements signed but not implemented with Micronesia and the Salomon Islands);
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas our presence in the region should serve to promote a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of resources, guaranteeing the proper management of Pacific tuna resources;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the EU-Cook Islands FPA is based on the best available scientific advice, respecting the conservation and management measures of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) within the limits of the available surplus;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas problems exist in relation to inspection and control, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a problem that is difficult to overcome, bearing in mind the scattered nature of territory and resources;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a commitment has been given not to grant other non-European fleets more favourable conditions than those provided for in the Agreement, and the Agreement contains the Cotonou clause on human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the contributions intended to support the development of the Cook Islands’ fisheries policy, ranging between 47.6% and 50% of the total to be transferred, amount to a major contribution in percentage terms;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas EU longliner catches have tended to be located in the warmer waters to the south of the Cook Islands, and bearing in mind the requirements imposed by the Cook Islands’ shark conservation regulation, and whereas the ex ante assessment found that there will be no interest in the future for EU longliners to fish in the Cook Islands EEZ;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that the EU-Cook Islands FPA should effectively promote sustainable fisheries in the Cook Islands waters through adequate EU sectoral support, and pursue two equally important goals: 1) to provide fishing opportunities to EU vessels in the Cook Islands fishing zone, on the basis of the best available scientific advice and respecting the conservation and management measures of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) within the limits of the available surplus; and 2) to promote cooperation between the European Union and the Cook Islands with a view to a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fisheries resources in the Cook Islands fishing zone, and to contribute to the sustainable development of the Cook Islands fishing sector, through economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation while respecting that country’s sovereign options regarding this development;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers that support for sectoral development is an important aspect of contributing to the sustainability of a partner country, as it helps to enhance the country’s operational independence, underpin its development strategy and guarantee its sovereignty;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that the EU-Cook Islands FPA and the relevant protocol should allow bilateral cooperation on the fight against illegal fishing to be strengthened and provide the Cook Islands with the means to finance surveillance programmes, and believes that measures to prevent IUU fishing in the exclusive economic zone of the Cook Islands should be reinforced, including by improved monitoring, control and surveillance through the use of the satellite-based vessel monitoring system, logbooks, inspectors and the implementation of decisions by regional fisheries organisations;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls the Commission to consider the application of the precautionary principle accordingly to the rules of the CFP and to analyse the use of floating Fishing Aggregating Devices in the area and its influence in the tuna ecology and make proposals for their use accordingly to their findings;