16 Amendments of Isabella LÖVIN related to 2024/0159M(NLE)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest, most unstable and Least Developed Countries in the region; whereas the contribution of Guinea- Bissau’s fisheries to the country’s wealth is very low (3 % of GDP in 20183 ), though the funds disbursed under the SFPA by way of financial compensation for access to resources will make a significant contribution to its public finances; __________________ 3 FAO 2024. FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles. Guinea-Bissau, 2019. Fact Sheets, Country Brief. Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. Rome.
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas artisanal catches are not enough to supply the local markets; whereas overexploitation of small pelagic remains an urgent problem in terms of food security for local population; whereas the increased production of fishmeal, which is processed mostly from small pelagic species, either on land in fishmeal plants or directly on factory ships, is one of the main factors contributing to the overexploitation of these stocks in the region; whereas there is a lack of transparency about who supplies these fishmeal plants and who are their beneficial owners;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas for the first time, the SFPA makes a reference in its preamble to the Voluntary Guidelines for securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries, with the aim to protect small-scale fisheries, taking into account their contribution to food security and poverty reduction;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. whereas SFPA encourages the establishment of joint fishing ventures between European and local companies; but whereas such joint ventures compete with the small-scale fisheries sector;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O b (new)
Recital O b (new)
Ob. whereas using flags of convenience (the practice of registering vessels in countries with weak rules that bears no association with the nationality of the vessel’s owner or operator) and flag hopping (the practice of repeated and rapid reflagging to avoid rules and restrictions to limit activities) increase the risks of IUU fishing and avoid accountability;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O c (new)
Recital O c (new)
Oc. whereas transparency (the open and accessible sharing of information about vessels, fishing activities and how fisheries are managed) enables accountability and equitable access to marine resources; in sharp contrast, whereas a lack of transparency around foreign boats that join local fleets makes it impossible to track how much fish they are extracting;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O d (new)
Recital O d (new)
Od. whereas access to beneficial ownership information is crucial for law enforcement to uncover illegal fishing, reveal conceal networks, and identify the individuals and companies benefiting from these activities by tracing the flow of profits;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that Guinea-Bissau’s GDP is heavily reliant on its marine resources; underlines that although the fishing industry stands for 15% of the total revenues, it cannot export seafood to the EU as it has not met the health and sanitary requirements to export, while it is estimated that only 3% of the catches made by foreign vessels has landed in Guinea-Bissau;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Recalls that scientists have warned about the overexploitation of small pelagic stocks in the region albeit these stocks are essential to the food security of local population; recalls that access to small pelagics under the SFPA is restricted for EU fleets for sustainability reasons; but stresses that foreign boats operating under local flags have become a significant driver of overfishing and subsequent harm to the livelihoods and food security of artisanal fishing communities;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Recalls that small-scale fisheries make a major contribution to food security, with fish being the main source of protein available at an affordable price; henceforth, underlines the importance to reserve the access to pelagics for small-scale fisheries that fish for human consumption; recalls EU’s responsibility to encourage these measures through its agreements;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Welcomes the fact that the for the first time in an SFPA, the preamble to the Guinea-Bissau-EU protocol refers to the Voluntary Guidelines for securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries; underlines that their inclusion in the protocol text shows the determination of both parties to make this sector a priority; however, deplores the fact that artisanal fishing communities were not consulted at any stage in the process of drawing up the new protocol; stresses that EU’s commitment to support the local fisheries sector in Guinea-Bissau entails to involve their participation in the identification of priorities for the use of sectoral support funds;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Notes that the main problems facing the small-scale fisheries sector are the lack of infrastructure for landing, preserving, and processing fish products; insists that sectoral aid effectively contributes to sustainable development in partner countries, notably by better targeting it to local needs ensuring greater transparency on allocation of support; stresses that training of artisanal fishers, notably for women, is a necessary condition to the development of the local fisheries sector; urges the EU to also use sectoral support funds to this effect;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the EU to address the lack of transparency in the fishing sector in Guinea-Bissau which results i.e. from flags of convenience, flag hopping, complex corporate structures and lack of public information on beneficial owners;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Recalls that illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, which is facilitated by the practice of flying a flag of convenience, damages food security and the livelihoods of people in coastal countries as well as ocean’s ecosystems; notes with concern that Guinea-Bissau is developing into a fast-emerging flag of convenience; is equally concerned that EU’s fight against IUU fishing is being held back by a lack of transparency of EU-owned fishing vessels in countries with a high risk of IUU fishing, while the beneficial owners often remain hidden, allowing profits from IUU fishing to flow back to the EU;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Notes that selling boats to joint ventures majority-owned by local partners is one of the key ways in which foreign companies can access West African countries’ flags;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Takes note of the article of the Financial Times from 15 August 2024 that found 39 industrial fishing vessels that were flagged to Gambia, Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau despite having ownership or management links to European companies; underlines that over half of them were licensed to bring seafood into the EU; highlights that the shift in registration raises sustainability concerns given that both EU flagged and EU owned vessels, which are fishing in the same waters, do not respond to the same standards; whereas the EU flagged vessels cannot fish for small pelagic fish in the waters of Guinea-Bissau because of overfishing, these EU-owned vessels are likely fishing these species; stresses that the failings of West African coastal states in terms of law enforcement and their lack of capacity for monitoring their waters cannot guarantee sustainable fishing by these reflagged vessels; against this background, urges the EU to limit flags of convenience and re-flagging as a means to combat IUU fishing and comply with high sustainability standards; urges equally the EU Member States to require their nationals to notify any ownership of vessels or companies (through joint ventures) in Guinea-Bissau and to continue promoting transparency of corporate structure;