25 Amendments of Clara AGUILERA related to 2019/0090M(NLE)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the overall objective of the EU-Guinea Bissau Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) is to increasenhance fisheries cooperation between the EU and Guinea-Bissau, in the interests of both parties, by promoting a sustainable fisheries policy and the sound and sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in Guinea- Bissau’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)fishing zones, in addition to the development of the Guinea-Bissau fisheries sector; (The fisheries partnership agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau for the period 16 June 2007 to 15 June 2011, which is the basis for the new Protocol, contains in Article 2 the reference to "Guinea-Bissau fishing zones". The change from "Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)" to "fishing zones" is introduced for consistency with and its blue economy; Or. en the FPA.)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU-Guinea Bissau SFPA is of considerable importance in the context of the SFPAs concluded by the EU with third countries, and is currently the third most important in terms of the funds involved, and offers the added advantage of being one of only three agreements allowing access to mixed fisheries;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the contribution of Guinea- Bissau’s fisheries to the country’s wealth is very low (3.5% of GDP in 2015), although the funds that it will receive through the SFPA as financial compensation for access to resources make a significant contribution to its national public finances;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas compared to the previous Protocol, the EU financial contribution has been increased from 9 000 000 euros to 11 600 000 per year as regards the annual amount for access to fishery resources and from 3 000 0000 euros to 4 000 000 per year as regards the support of Guinea-Bissau’s sectoral fisheries policy;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas during the first period covered by the Protocol the fishing opportunities granted to EU fleets are as follows: 3 700 GRT for shrimp freezer trawlers, 3 500 GRT for fin-fish and cephalopods freezer trawlers and 15 000 GRT for small pelagic trawlers, 28 tuna freezer seiners and longliners, and 13 pole-and-line tuna vessels; whereas during the second period the fishing opportunities granted to EU fleets are as follows: 2 500 tonnes for shrimp freezer trawlers, 11 000 for fin-fish freezer trawlers, 1 500 tonnes for cephalopod freezer trawlers and 18 000 tonnes for small pelagic trawlers, 28 tuna freezer seiners and longliners, and 13 pole-and- line tuna vessels;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, although the EU has had fisheries agreements with the first fisheries agreement between the EEC and Guinea- Bissau since the early 1980s, the development cooperation component of these agreements (sectoral support) has done nothing to promote either significantdated back to 1980; whereas the previous protocol to the Agreement expired on 23 November 2017; whereas the performance of the development cooperation component of these agreements (sectoral support) has not been globally satisfactory; whereas, notwithstanding, progress has been recorded in fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance, sanitary inspection capacity and the participation of Guinea- Bissau in regional fisheries bodies; whereas the sectoral cooperation needs to be enhanced in order to better promote the development of the local fisheries sector orand the development of related industries and activities so as to ensure that a greater proportion of the added value created by the exploitation of the country’s natural resources remains in Guinea-Bissau;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas trade in fishery products from Guinea-Bissau has been banned by the EU for many years owing to the country’s inability to comply with the sanitary measures required by the EU; whereas the delay in the analytical laboratory’s certification process (CIPA) is the main barrier to the export of fishery products from Guinea-Bissau to the EU; whereas the Guinean authorities and the European Commission are working together in the certification process in order to overcome the ban;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Guinean authorities have a legitimate ambition to see an increase inre is a need to ensure that a greater proportion of the added value generated from the exploitation of fishery resources in the Guinean EEZ, since currently most of this added value does notfishing zones remains within the country;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
J a. whereas compared to the previous Protocol, the number of seamen to be signed on in the Union fleet has been significantly increased; whereas the owners of Union vessels shall endeavour to sign on additional Guinean seamen; whereas the competent authorities of Guinea-Bissau shall draw up and keep up to date an indicative list of qualified seamen who are candidates to be signed on by Union vessels;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas Guinea-Bissau is one of the 13 countries under the scope of the project ‘Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)’ adopted by Commission Decision C(2017) 2951 of 28 April 2017 which, among other objectives, aims to strengthen the prevention of and responses to IUU fishing by improving monitoring, control and surveillance at national and regional level.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the importance of the EU- Guinea Bissau SFPA, both for Guinea Bissau and for EU fleets operating in Guinea-Bissau waterfishing zones; emphasises that there is scope for more effective progress in terms of fisheries cooperation between the EU and Guinea-Bissau and considers that it should thereforereiterates its call on the Commission to take every step required to go beyond previous protocols on the implementation of this agreement;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the objectives of the EU-Guinea Bissau SFPA have had differing degrees of success: while, on the one hand, the agreement has offered and provides considerable fishing opportunities for EU vessels in the Guinea-Bissau EEZfishing zones and European shipowners have made considerable use of these opportunities, on the other hand, the local fisheries sector has not, overall, developed enough or in a satisfactory manner;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses that this protocol contains a non-discrimination clause (Article 3) whereby Guinea-Bissau undertakes not to grant more favourable technical conditions to other foreign fleets operating in Guinea-Bissau's fishing zone that have the same characteristics and target the same species; calls on the Commission to follow closely fisheries agreements with third countries in Guinea-Bissau's fishing zone;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that a transition in the management of fishing opportunities (from fishing effort management to total allowable catch management) poses a challenge to this Protocol; calls on the Commission and the competent authorities of Guinea-Bissau to promote, without delay, an appropriate and effective transition, which safeguards the necessary reliability and effectiveness of the ERS and the processing of catch data;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports the need for significant progress in the development of the Guinea- Bissau fisheries sector, including the fishing industry and related activities, and calls on the Commission to take all necessary measures – including a possible revision and the bolstering of the sectoral support component of the agreement, along with the creation of conditionmeasures to increase the absorption rate of this support – in order to ensure an effective reversal of the path taken in recent decadese financial contribution – in order to achieve this objective;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Considers that the EU-Guinea Bissau SFPA will not achieve its objectives if it does not increase added value in Guinea-Bissau as a result of the exploitation of its fishery resources; indicatesconsiders it of utmost importance to comply with the provisions set out in the Protocol on sectoral support, so that it contributes to the full implementation of the national strategy for fisheries and the blue economy; identifies in this regard as priority areas for EU support, mobilising the necessary technical and financial assistance to:
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point b
Paragraph 5 – point b
b. construction ofdeveloping key infrastructure for fisheries and related activities, such as ports (both industrial and artisanal), sites for landing, storing and processing fish, markets, distribution and marketing structures, quality analysis laboratories;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 5 – point d a (new)
d a. supporting small-scale fishing;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the European Commission to prioritise and urgentlyand the competent authorities of Guinea- Bissau to enhance their cooperation in order to establish the conditions for the export of Guinea-Bissau fishery products to the EU, in particular as regards the verification of the required sanitary conditions and certification of the analytical laboratory (CIPA), sinco as to overcome the current ban constitutes a significant barrier to, boost the development of the local fisheries sector and, consequently, to the achievement ofprogress towards achieving the SFPA objectives;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the need to increasenhance the contribution of the SFPA to the local creation of direct and indirect jobs, either on vessels operating under the SFPA or in fishing activities, both upstream and downstream; considers that the Member States can play a key role and be an active part in capacity-building and training efforts in order to achieve this;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that there is a need to improve the quantity and quality of data on all catches (target and by-catch), on the conservation status of fishery resources in the EEZfishing zones of Guinea-Bissau and, in general, on the impact of the SFPA on ecosystems, and that an effort should be made to develop the capacity of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to acquire such data; calls on the Commission to help ensure that the bodies responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Agreement, namely the Joint Committee and Joint Scientific Committee, can operate smoothly, with the involvement of artisanal fishermen’s associations, trade unions, representatives of coastal communities and Guinea-Bissau civil society organisations;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that, in view of a possiblthe event of the closure of fisheries or the setting of restrictions on fisherieintroduction of fishing restrictions, in order to ensure that resources are sustainable as foreseen in the Procotol, local fishing needs should be addressed first, on the basis of sound scientific advice;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports the need, with a view to improving the sustainability of fishing activities, to improve the governance, control and surveillance of the EEZfishing zones of Guinea Bissau and to combat IUU fishing, inter alia, by stepping up the monitoring of vessels (through the VMS system);
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the European Commission to forward to Parliament the minutes and conclusions of the meetings of the Joint Committee, the multiannual sectoral programme referred to in Article 5 of the Protocol and the results of its annual evaluations, information on the coordination of this programme with the strategic plan for the development of Guinea-Bissau’s fisheries (2015-2020), the minutes and conclusions of the meetings of the Joint Scientific Committee, as well as information on IUU fishing in the Guinean EEZfishing zones, the integration of EU economic operators in the Guinean fisheries sector (Article 10 of the Protocol) and the verification of compliance with the obligations of shipowners (e.g. in relation to the contribution in kind provided for in Chapter V of the Annex to the Protocol); calls on the Commission to present to Parliament, within the last year of application of the Protocol and before the opening of negotiations for its renewal, a full report on its implementation;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the European Commission to better integrate the recommendations now madeof the European Parliament in the EU- Guinea -Bissau SFPA, taking them into account, inter alia, in the procedures for the renewal of the Protocol;