PURPOSE: to transpose into Union law the relevant measures of the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean).

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2019/982 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area.

CONTENT: this Regulation amends Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 in order to transpose into EU law a number of measures adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) at its annual meetings in 2015, 2016 and 2017. These measures concern European hake and deepwater rose shrimp in the Strait of Sicily, turbot in the Black Sea, blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea and red coral. The Regulation also establishes a restricted fishing area in the Adriatic (Jabuka Basin/Pomo area).

The Agreement for the establishment of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean provides an appropriate framework for multilateral cooperation to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilisation of living marine resources in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea at levels which are considered sustainable and at low risk of collapse.

The recommendations adopted by the GFCM are binding on its contracting parties. The Union, as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Slovenia are Contracting Parties to the GFCM Agreement.

In line with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the amending Regulation covers conservation measures, management, monitoring, control and surveillance measures, as well as measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 10.7.2019.

The European Parliament adopted by 588 votes to 28, with 43 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement Area.

The proposal aims to amend Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 in order to transpose into EU law a number of measures adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) at its annual meetings in 2015, 2016 and 2017. These measures concern European hake and deepwater pink shrimp in the Strait of Sicily, turbot in the Black Sea, pink bream in the Alboran Sea and red coral. The proposal also establishes a restricted fishing area in the Adriatic (Jabuka Basin/Pomo area).

The position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure has amended the Commission's proposal. These amendments aim in particular to:

- provide that the regulations apply to all commercial fishing and aquaculture activities, as well as recreational fishing activities where the regulations expressly provide for it;

- introduce a Section Ia "Fisheries restricted areas to protect essential fish habitats and vulnerable marine ecosystems";

- specify that authorised fishing vessels shall not be authorised to fish for more than two fishing days per week and that authorised fishing vessels using twin otter trawls shall not be authorised to fish for more than one fishing day per week in certain demarcated areas of the Jabuka/Pomo pit area;

- prohibit fishing each year, from 1 July to 31 September, with bottom trawls between the coast and 200-metre deep isobaths in the geographical sub-region 14 (Gulf of Gabes) referred to in Annex I;

- specify that specimens of spiny dogfish in the Black Sea smaller than 90 cm may not be retained on board, transhipped, landed, stored, sold, displayed or offered for sale;

- prohibit the landing or transhipment from fishing vessels of any quantity of European hake and deepwater pink shrimp caught in the Strait of Sicily at any place other than the ports of landing designated by the Member States.

The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report by Linnéa ENGSTRÖM (Greens/EFA, SE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area.

The proposal aims to amend Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 in order to transpose in Union law a number of measures adopted by the GFCM at its annual sessions of 2015, 2016 and 2017. These measures concern the European hake and the deep-water rose shrimp in the Strait of Sicily the turbot in the Black Sea, the blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea and red coral in the Mediterranean Sea. The proposal also establishes a fishing restricted area in the Adriatic (Jabuka/PomoPit area).

The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal. The proposed amendments are intended to:

extend the scope of the amended Regulation to recreational fishing activities where the Regulation expressly so provides; clarify that unauthorised fishing vessels would only be allowed to transit through a restricted area if they follow a direct course at a constant speed of not less than 7 knots and with VMS and/or AIS active on board, and if they do not carry out fishing activities of any kind; require each Member State to establish a closure period of at least two months during the spawning season of turbot, from April to June every year; establish in the Mediterranean Sea a system of individual daily and/or annual catch limits for red coral in the Mediterranean; prohibit the landing or transhipment from fishing vessels any quantity of European hake and deep-water rose shrimp fished in the Strait of Sicily at any place other than landing ports designated by the Member States; specify that all vessels over 12 metres in length must be equipped with a satellite-based vessel monitoring system (VMS) or any other geo-localisation system allowing control authorities to track their activities in order to be granted a fishing authorisation; provide that national plans and all their elements must be communicated to fishing associations and made publicly accessible to all fishermen.

PURPOSE: to transpose relevant GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) measures into Union law.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Agreement establishing the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM Agreement) provides an appropriate framework for multilateral cooperation to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilisation of living marine resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea at levels which are considered sustainable and at low risk of collapse.

The European Union, as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Slovenia are contracting parties to the GFCM Agreement.

Recommendations adopted by the GFCM are binding on its contracting parties. As the Union is a contracting party to the GFCM Agreement, those recommendations are binding on the Union and should therefore be implemented in Union law unless their content is already covered thereby. The transposition of the relevant GFCM provisions is necessary to ensure that the latter will receive uniform and effective application throughout the European Union.

CONTENT: the European Commission proposes to amend Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 in order to transpose in Union law a number of measures adopted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) at its annual sessions of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The proposal is consistent with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). It covers conservation measures, management measures, monitoring, control and surveillance measures and measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

These measures concern the European hake and the deep-water rose shrimp in the Strait of Sicily the turbot in the Black Sea, the blackspot seabream in the Alboran Sea and the red coral. The proposal also establishes a fishing restricted area in Adriatic (Jabuka/PomoPit area). These measures go beyond the existing EU regulation.