OCEAN2012 and NGOs urge same level of ambition for fisheries subsidies as for basic regulation

In February, in the vote on the Basic Regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the European Parliament plenary supported an ambitious target for the recovery of European fish stocks, strengthened fleet management, a discard ban, the provision of sufficient funding for data collection and making funding conditional on the implementation of the CFP and relevant environmental legislation. In taking a position on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), OCEAN2012, Birdlife, Greenpeace, Oceana, and WWF urge Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to ensure the same level of ambition, coherence and consistency between their vote on the Basic Regulation and the EMFF.

In particular, MEPs are urged to eliminate EU subsidies that incentivise and support overfishing and instead to shift funds to measures which support sustainable fisheries. A failure to eliminate harmful subsidies undermines the implementation of the reformed CFP as well as commitments made by governments at the 2002 World Summit of Sustainable Development, in the World Trade Organisation, and at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012.

In their role as elected representatives of the European public, MEPs are urged to take a determined stance on reforming the EMFF by ensuring that public aid will be effectively used to help restore overexploited fish stocks and degraded marine ecosystems as well as to generate sustainable and equitable livelihoods in the fishing sector.