Considerations on COM(2023)423 - EU position in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources - Main contents
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dossier | COM(2023)423 - EU position in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. |
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document | COM(2023)423 ![]() |
date | December 11, 2023 |
(2) Pursuant to Article IX.1 of the CAMLR Convention, the CCAMLR is responsible for the adoption of conservation measures at its annual meetings designed to ensure the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources, including their rational use. Such measures may become binding upon the Union.
(3) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 19 provides that the Union is to ensure that fishing and aquaculture activities are environmentally sustainable in the long-term and are managed in a way that is consistent with the objectives of achieving economic, social and employment benefits, and of contributing to the availability of food supplies. It also provides that the Union is to apply the precautionary approach to fisheries management, and is to aim to ensure that exploitation of living marine biological resources restores and maintains the population of harvested species above levels, which can produce the maximum sustainable yield. It further provides that the Union is to take management and conservation measures based on best available scientific advice, to support the development of scientific knowledge and advice, to gradually eliminate discards and to promote fishing methods that contribute to more selective fishing and the avoidance and reduction, as far as possible, of unwanted catches, to fishing with low impact on marine ecosystem and fishery resources. Besides, Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 specifically provides that those objectives and principles are to be applied by the Union in the conduct of its external fisheries relations.
(4) In line with the Biodiversity 20 , Climate Adaptation 21 and Farm to Fork Strategies 22 , it is essential to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. The risks stemming from climate change and loss of biodiversity must not jeopardise the availability of the goods and services that healthy marine ecosystems provide to fishers, coastal communities and humanity at large.
(5) The Plastics Strategy 23 refers to specific measures to reduce plastics and marine pollution as well as the loss or abandonment at sea of fishing gear. Furthermore, the Zero pollution Action Plan 24 aims at reducing by 50% plastic litter at sea and by 30% micro-plastics released into the environment.
(6) Under the International Ocean Governance Joint Communication 25 , marine biodiversity protection and conservation are key priorities under the EU’s external action The EU is the most prominent actor in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and fisheries bodies worldwide. There, the EU promotes the sustainability of fish stocks, promotes transparent decision-making based on sound scientific advice, enhances scientific research, and strengthens compliance.
(7) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the meetings of the CCAMLR for the period 2024-2028, as the CCAMLR conservation measures may be binding on the Union and capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely, Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 26 ; Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 27 ; Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 of the European Parliament and of the Council 28 ; Council Regulation 600/2004 29 ; Council Regulation 601/2004 30 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/2001 31 .
(8) Currently the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the meetings of the CCAMLR is established by Council Decision (EU) 2019/867 32 . It is appropriate to repeal that Decision and establish a new Decision for the period 2024-2028.
(9) In view of the evolving nature of fishery resources in the CAMLR Convention Area and the consequent need for the Union’s position to take account of new developments, including new scientific and other relevant information presented before or during the meetings of the CCAMLR, procedures should be established for the year-to-year specification of the Union’s position for the period 2024-2028 in line with the principle of sincere cooperation among the Union institutions enshrined in Article 13(2) of the Treaty on the European Union.