Summary Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Brussels, 4 May 2011 SUMMARY REPORT on the VISIT OF A DELEGATION of the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES to PORTUGAL (Mainland and Azores) 13-16 April 2011 Report prepared by: Marilia Crespo PECH Committee Secretariat Summary The Members of the EP Fisheries Committee Delegation: Visited the port of Peniche and met various stakeholders and key players in the fisheries sector of the region; Met the Secretary of State for Fisheries and Agriculture and a representative of the Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries of the Portuguese Parliament, the Mayor of Peniche and other representatives of the municipal authorities and a representative of the port management authority; Held a meeting with the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) of the University of Azores on the island of Faial (Horta) and were given interesting presentations on ongoing research projects; Met the President of the Regional Legislative Assembly of Azores and held a joint meeting with the Subcommittee on Economy and the Subcommittee on General Affairs of the Regional Legislative Assembly, in Horta (Faial Island); Visited the COFACO tuna canning factory on the Island of Pico; Met the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea at the Interpretative Centre of the Capelinhos Volcano (Faial Island) and were given interesting presentations on environmental aspects related to the archipelago; Made a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Ponta Delgada ( São Miguel Island); Met the management board of Lotaçor and a large delegation of fishers, vessel owners, representatives of women's associations, producers' organisations and a representative of the port authority (São Miguel Island); Made a courtesy visit to the Azorean Regional Secretary of the Presidency, in Ponta Delgada (São Miguel Island). Visits and meetings provided excellent opportunities for a direct dialogue with fishers and other industry representatives and with regional and local authorities, who expressed their concerns regarding the particularities of the situation of fisheries and fishing communities in Portugal (mainland and Azores), as well as their views on the forthcoming reform of the CFP. Members of the EP Committee on Fisheries participating in the delegation: Ms Carmen FRAGA ESTÉVEZ (EPP/ES), Chair and Head of Delegation (out of quota), Ms Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES (PT - EPP) (out of quota) - organizer of the delegation, Mr Mato ADROVER (ES - EPP), Mr Antonello ANTINORO (IT - EPP), Mr Kriton ARSENIS (EL - S&D), Ms Izaskun BILBAO BARANDICA (ES - ALDE) Mr Luís Manuel CAPOULAS SANTOS (PT- S&D) (out of quota), Mr João FERREIRA (PT - GUE), Ms Iliana MALINOVA IOTOVA (BG - S&D), Mr Jarosław Leszek WAŁĘSA (PL - EPP) Annexes: Programme and list of participants 2 PENICHE Introduction The municipality of Peniche has a total population of 28,656 inhabitants (2009) and an area of 77.4 km2. Peniche is located approximately 74km from Lisbon and 30km from Torres Vedras, the most populated town of the Oeste sub-region (NUTS III). It greatly benefits from its strategic geographic position by being located on a peninsula, with a perimeter of approximately 10 km. At the western end of the peninsula is Cape Carvoeiro, and further to the northwest of the peninsula into the Atlantic is the Berlengas archipelago. Peniche emerges as one of Portugal’s most important Portuguese fishing ports whether measured in terms of volume and value of landings or in terms total numbers of fishers. It also has one of the highest levels of fisheries dependence of all coastal municipalities in Portugal. The fisheries sector is of paramount importance in the socio-economic profile of Peniche, since a series of economic activities (secondary and tertiary sectors) ranging from shipbuilding to processing, storage, marketing and distribution of fish - fresh, frozen or preserved - are based on the fishing industry. Visits and meetings held - Visit to the port of Peniche On 13 April, the first day of the delegation, Members visited the port of Peniche. The port lies in the southern part of the isthmus of the peninsula of Peniche, which provides excellent sheltering conditions from the stormy weather felt during the winter months. 3 Members were given an interesting presentation on the historical evolution and the current state of the port infrastructures (including a pier supply of ice, fuel and supplies, slipways, mooring berths, landing piers, repair quays, shipyards, an ice factory, a recreational marina, an auction hall, warehouses and nautical equipment stores). The port has been highlighted as a successful model of investment of EU funds taking into account regional economic diversification and sustainable development. Sardine, tuna, octopus, horse mackerel and sea bass are the most valuable landed species. The sardine fishery has been awarded the MSC certification and it is expected that the local processing industry will also benefit from this certification. The working population involved in fishing activities is around 2500 workers. The visit was hosted by the Mayor of Peniche, Mr António José CORREIA and by the President of the Institute for Ports and Maritime Transport, Mr João CARVALHO. The Mayor of Peniche highlighted that the municipality is recognised as an example of a very innovative community regarding the sea- related activities, with a wide range of initiatives in the areas of fisheries, tourism, culture, preservation of the local natural environment and projects linked to the waves (in particular surfing and the production of renewable energy). - Meeting with the Secretary of State for Fisheries and Agriculture, Mr Luis VIEIRA, The Secretary of State for Fisheries and Agriculture welcomed the delegation and made a short briefing about the situation of the fishing sector in Portugal. He stressed that Portugal has currently around 2000 unfilled employment positions in the fishing sector and that third-country workers are being recruited. He highlighted the progress made towards modernisation of the sector, but pointed out the need to support initiatives from the younger generation and to improve working and safety conditions in order to counter the unattractiveness of the fishing professions. 4 - Meeting with representatives of stakeholders and local authorities The delegation was given a presentation by Mr Ulisses PEREIRA, Member of the Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries of the Portuguese Parliament, coordinator of the fishing working group of this Committee and rapporteur on the opinion of the national Parliament regarding the European Commission Green Paper on the reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP), adopted in December 2009. Mr Pereira highlighted the strong maritime tradition of Portugal, which has a 12 mile band of territorial waters of almost a 100 000 km2 and a coastline of 2.751 km (including the outermost regions of Azores and Madeira) and where fishing is a very important economic, cultural and social factor. Portugal has the highest per capita consumption of fisheries products in the EU with an average of 56.6 kg per head per year (EU average 22.7/head/year). He pointed out that there had been a sharp drop (50 %) in number of vessels and total tonnage between 1986 and 2009. Regarding the reform of the CFP, he stressed the need for a balance between the environmental, social and economic pillars of the CFP (without prioritising any of these three aspects), the need for a bottom-up approach and a more regionalised management of the CFP and the need to find new management models complementary to the TACs and quotas system, which, according to him, is not adapted to mixed fisheries. He also stressed that the model of transferable fishing rights is not appropriate to the small-scale coastal fishing sector. Mr Pereira highlighted in his presentation the need to maintain the external dimension of the CFP, ensuring the presence of EU fleets in both international waters and waters of third countries through fisheries partnership agreements and participation in RFMOs and the need for investment for applied research in the area of fisheries. Some key points raised during the meeting by several representatives of the sector are mentioned below. - Call for a stronger regionalisation of the CFP and greater attention to the specific elements of local fisheries; - Unfair competition from the products coming from third countries; - Problems arising from the complexity of implementing and enforcing the provisions laid down in the control regulations and the need for better law making and simplification of administrative procedures; - The need to implement a strategy for the sustainable development of fisheries- dependent communities as a way to cope with declining resources, low income from the activity, lack of attractiveness for the fishing profession, the weak competitiveness 5 of the sector and the low added value of their products. Several ongoing interesting integrated projects in this area were mentioned at the meeting, in particular by the Coastal Action Group (Grupo de Acção Costeira do Oeste) and the Municipality of Peniche, many of them co-funded by the EU. During the debate, several members of the delegation emphasised the importance of regionalisation in the upcoming reform of the CFP and the key role that should be played by Regional Advisory Councils. It was also stressed that there was a solid consensus in the EP on the need for a stronger regional element in decision-making, taking greater account of regional specificities and the need for greater involvement of stakeholders in the design and management of fisheries policies, as pointed out by the EP resolution of 25 February 2010 on the Green Paper on CFP reform. A dinner was offered in the evening to the delegation by the Peniche Municipality and the local producers' organisations, with the participation of the Mayor of Peniche and several representatives of the sector. The convivial and friendly atmosphere contributed to a frank and open exchange of views and to giving the participants a better understanding of each other's respective activities.