The Commission submitted a proposal for a comprehensive reform of the EU’s fisheries control system (COM(2018)368 final) in order to modernise the current system by using the benefits of the digital transformation to support the ecological transformation. The report adopted by the PECH Committee on 5 February 2021 will be submitted for a plenary vote in view of establishing the EP’s position in trilogues during the March I EP plenary (report AGUILERA).
While the PECH Report is supportive of many important features proposed1, a series of amendments adopted during the vote in the PECH committee raise important concerns in view of the European Green Deal (Biodiversity Strategy), the digital transformation of the EU, social justice and the international credibility of the EU in ocean governance. More concretely, these concerning amendments would lead to a backtracking compared to the current control system on key issues, such as on reporting on the quantities of fish caught.Such underreporting could lead to massive overfishing and thereby undermine the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy. It would also put at risk the credibility of the EU as a global leader on ocean governance and in particular in its zero-tolerance approach towards illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by third countries (while at the same time, the PECH Report contains amendments to enhance the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in third countries). Furthermore, certain amendments lead to loopholes, which will largely benefit bigger more profitable vessels, at the expense of smaller vessels. As some amendments limit the use of modern technology (such as CCTV cameras) in a control system that is largely still paper-based, the digitial and green transition promoted by the EU Green Deal would not be achieved in the fishing sector. This is also a missed opportunity for innovation and digital know-how and ultimately for the creation of new jobs.
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