COMMON FISHERIES POLICY: COLLECTION OF
DATA
(a)
(20655)
12347/99
COM(99) 541
|
Draft Council Regulation establishing a Community framework for the
collection and management of the fisheries data needed to conduct the
Common Fisheries Policy.
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(b)
(20662)
12350/99
COM(99) 551
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Draft Council Decision on a financial contribution from the
Community towards the expenditure incurred by the Member States in
collecting data, and for financing studies and pilot studies for carrying
out the Common Fisheries Policy.
|
| Legal base:
| Article 37 EC; consultation; qualified majority voting
|
| |
| Document originated:
| (a) 27 October 1999
(b) 3 November 1999
|
| Forwarded to the Council:
| (a) 29 October 1999
(b) 4 November 1999
|
| Deposited in Parliament:
| (a) 17 November 1999
(b) 19 November 1999
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| Department: |
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
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| Basis of consideration:
| EM of 29 November 1999 and SEM of 18 May 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| None |
| To be discussed in Council:
| Following receipt of European Parliament opinion
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| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared |
Background
12.1 Fisheries management of the kind carried
out under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires an informed
assessment of its economic, biological and technical aspects,
and provision already exists within the relevant Community legislation[31]
for the necessary data to be supplied. However, according to the
Commission, the arrangements currently in place, though useful,
are not comprehensive and need to be supplemented. In particular,
data is currently provided at both individual and Member State
level, whereas the Commission says that scientific evaluations
primarily require aggregate data at a level between the two —
for example, in relation to catches by particular categories of
vessels in specified waters over specified periods. The Commission
also makes the point that, since Member States share the same
stocks, efforts to collect relevant data require all of them to
do so on the same basis over time, and that steps therefore need
to be taken at Community level to provide the necessary information
on a multi-annual basis.
The current proposals
12.2 The Commission has sought to achieve
this aim by means of these two proposals. The first (document
(a)) would establish a Community framework for the six year period
2000-2005[32]
inclusive, within which Member States would have to gather sets
of aggregated data relating to them, following standardised procedures,
and covering the following areas:
- estimates of total catches per stock, including
discards, classified by vessel groups, geographic area and time
period: this would also involve research at sea to evaluate the
abundance and distribution of stocks independently of commercial
catch data;
- the evaluation of changes in fishing power and
the activities of the various fleets;
- monitoring the prices of various catches, as
well as landings by Community vessels outside, and imports into,
the Community; and
- the evaluation of the economic state of the industry,
covering for the fishing fleets income, production costs and employment,
and, for the fish processing industry, production, number of enterprises
and jobs, and changes in production costs.
Priority would be given initially to a "minimum"
programme which must be achieved so that scientific evaluations
can be produced, but, in addition, an "extended" programme
is also envisaged to enable those evaluations to be improved.
The content of these programmes, and various other detailed matters
relating to them, would be set out in a subsequent implementing
Regulation.
12.3 As regards funding, the Commission
points out the fifth framework programme for research is geared
primarily to innovation, and that it would not necessarily provide
funding for activities such as data collection. Its second proposal
(document (b)) would therefore give rise to a Council Decision
providing for the Community funding of the activities envisaged
in its first proposal. The Commission proposes financial contributions
of up to 50% of the expenditure incurred by Member States in collecting
data under the "minimum" programme, and of up to 35%
in respect of the "extended" programme. In addition,
a limited amount of funding is proposed for related studies and
pilot projects carried out by the Commission itself. The total
cost to the Community budget over the programme's six year period
is put at about 132 million euro (£76 million), with about
85% set aside for data collection, and the balance for studies
and pilot projects. However, the Commission points out that this
level of expenditure is in line with that already incurred in
collecting data and carrying out pilot projects, and is thus not
new money.
The Government's view
12.4 In his Explanatory Memoranda of 29
November 1999 and 18 May 2000, the Parliamentary Secretary at
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr Morley) says
that, insofar as there is a need to co-ordinate better the provision
of Member States' data in order to address CFP issues, action
is needed at Community level, but this should go no further than
is necessary for this purpose. Subject to that caveat, he says
that the UK considers most of the content of the minimum and extended
programmes to be sensible, and to be welcomed to the extent that
it would ensure that all Member States undertake these activities.
12.5 As regards the impact of the proposals
on the UK, he points out that the collection and compilation of
much of the catch data required is already in place, or will be
put into place, and that the major part of the task of meeting
the proposed new requirements would be to reorganise this data.
On the other hand, he suggests that the proposal for collecting
and assembling economic data would require additional surveys,
since such information is not regularly collected in the UK at
present. However, he adds that, should such additional economic
information be sought, this would be done through voluntary surveys,
and would not impose any additional burdens on the industry.
Conclusion
12.6 Any measures which contribute to
improving the basis on which decisions are taken under the Common
Fisheries Policy are to be welcomed in principle, and we note
the Government's view that the content of the programmes envisaged
in these proposals is sensible. We also note that, to the extent
that the proposals would involve a Community contribution towards
any additional expenditure incurred by Member States in implementing
these new arrangements (or towards studies and pilot projects
by the Commission), this would be within existing provisions,
and would not involve new money. On that basis, we are clearing
these two documents, but consider they deal with issues which
it would be right to draw to the attention of the House.
31 This includes Council Regulations 3759/92,
2847/93, 685/95 and 779/97. Back
32
Due to the passage of time which has elapsed since the
proposal was made, it is now envisaged that the programme will
cover the period 2001-2006. Back
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