Common fisheries policy CFP: restructuring, action programme

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on its own-initiative report by Giovanni FAVA (PES, Italy) on EU fisheries restructuring. (Please see the document dated 20/05/03.) Parliament stated that a crucial part of the common fisheries policy (CFP) is to join the promotion of a viable economic sector, of strategic importance to the European Union, with socio-economic cohesion in the Union's coastal regions, which are dependent on fisheries. Small-scale fisheries deserve special attention since they constitute 75% of the total number of Community vessels and employ 44% of the people working in the sector. The loss of 28 000 on-board jobs leads to social, cultural and economic desertification of coastal areas, which are part of the Union's heritage and which are highly dependent on fisheries and often have little opportunities for diversification beyond fisheries. Parliament asked the Commission to ensure that measures are taken to guarantee economic and social cohesion in areas dependent on fisheries, including the outermost regions, so as to enable them to become financially self-reliant. Parliament went on to state that the amendments made by the Council to the Commission package in December 2002 were unlikely to facilitate the implementation of the reform and the planned re-programming of the FIFG. It asked the Commission to provide it with an updated version of the Action Plan. Parliament referred to the financial resources available under Heading 2 of the Financial Perspective for the fisheries sector and the fisheries-dependent areas. For the period 2000-2006, these can be estimated at EUR 28 billion (EUR 3,7 billion under FIFG, EUR 19,2 billion under ERDF and EUR 5,17 billion under ESF). It called for additional special financing which did not affect the funding already allocated to the sector for structural adjustments (FIFG), in order to counter any negative socio-economic consequences as a result of restructuring measures within the sector, including recovery plans, so as to ensure that it becomes financially self-reliant. It also called for EUR 150 million to deal with the result of the cod conservation measures.�