Overview of the EU fisheries policy

Dear Undersecretary of Fisheries, Dear authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen,  

It is an honour to address this audience at the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of University of the Philippines.

The Philippines is a nation devoted to the sea. The sea is not only a big industry and source of living for millions of people, it is also a part of the identity of the country. Philippine seafarers sail on merchant ships and fishing vessels all over the world. Philippine-flagged fishing vessels are present in the three major oceans as well as the territorial waters. Philippine canneries process the tuna which ends up on plates all over the world. 

Like Europe, I am certain that the Philippines intrinsically understands the need for the sustainability of fish resources. Fish stocks may be renewable but unless they are managed properly they are also finite. If we do not ensure and implement an appropriate management framework for fishing activities, we will overfish and deplete the stocks.

What exactly should we all do?

All countries have to take their responsibilities on data and science. Policy must be science based. We need to have a good understanding about the state of the stocks before we decide how much our fishermen can fish. The next stage is to have a transparent and fair set of rules for fishermen. And rules are worthless if not implemented and controlled. Governments must promote a culture of compliance and ensure deterrent sanctions for those not respecting the rules.

In Europe, in 2014, we completed an ambitious reform of our Common Fisheries Policy.

The main goal of our new Fisheries Policy is to make fisheries environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Our rationale is that:

-     fair exploitation means healthier fish stocks;
-     healthier stocks mean bigger catches;
-     bigger catches mean more money for those who fish;
-     and more money means more jobs at sea and more jobs on land, especially in our coastal communities.

Our fisheries policy is based on scientific advice. The concept of maximum sustainable yield is now the main reference for the management of our common stocks.

We have modernised our decision-making, getting scientists and stakeholders on board.

With the reform, we introduced into the law a discard ban. This will incentivise fishermen to fish more selectively than before. We will waste less fish.

Fish do not know borders and don’t carry a passport. Within Europe, our political and legal efforts will be in vain if there is not a coordinated action of all the players involved. And it is the same across the world’s oceans – all international players need to play the same collaborative game. We will all win when stocks are at their maximum healthy level.

We in Europe import around two thirds of the fish we eat. We are one of the world’s biggest importers of fish. This gives us a high responsibility as a market State. If we want healthy world fish stocks, we must ensure that the fish that enters our market has been fished in a sustainable way.

With this objective, we adopted our IUU Regulation in 2010. This piece of legislation allows our Member States – obliges our Member States - to control that the fish we buy does not come from illegal fishing.

The IUU Regulation does not in fact introduce new obligations - but it encourages third countries to fulfil international obligations that already exist.

The aim of the IUU Regulation is to make everyone involved, be it operators, traders, fishermen or countries, more responsible. International rules exist from international organisations (UN, FAO, RFMOs). We are now basically asking our partners to show that they actually fulfil their international obligations as flag, port, coastal and market States.

The European Union in the first instance promotes cooperation with third countries to ensure compliance with the international law that underpins the sustainability of fishery resources. As a very last resort, the EU IUU policy instrument goes as far as to block trade of fish from the countries that are manifestly in breach of their international obligations.

Over the last 5 years, the European Union has been cleaning up its own behaviour and it has been in collaborative dialogue with more than 50 countries. We have accompanied fisheries authorities in the structural reform of their fisheries governance. The result is that many countries have revamped their administrative and legal frameworks to curb IUU activities. This benefits sustainability of the stocks and also benefits the coastal communities that rely on fishing. This is particularly the case for developing countries who are the first to suffer from the depletion of the fishery stocks caused by illegal activities, and who are beginning to realise the huge potential economic benefit from controlling fishing.

Since we started our dialogue in January 2012, the Philippines has seen a substantial reform of fisheries management systems. The Philippines is on its way to be fully compliant with international obligations. I would like to highlight the recent ratification of the United Nation Fisheries Stock Agreement, the basic document at international level for the regulation of the exploitation of migratory and straddling species. With good implementation and control, the Philippines is now in a position to become a reference in the sustainable exploitation of tuna fisheries.

Our experience in Europe with the reform of our Common Fisheries Policy shows us that structural change – and implementation of change - requires overcoming serious opposition. Business as usual is not an option. I would like to encourage the Philippine authorities to travel the last few miles to complete and begin to implement the ambitious reform you have underway. And I would say to the stakeholders here present - the industry and the NGOs - you are key players in the implementation of the new fisheries policy of the Philippines. Your full involvement and commitment is crucial for the success of the reforms envisaged by the Philippine administration.

I strongly believe that the dialogue on IUU is a further step in the partnership between the Philippines and the EU in the promotion of a better governance of our oceans. I would like to see the Philippines and the EU cooperating in the international organisations and in the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations - pushing forward together with high-reaching initiatives to strengthen the global fight against IUU and promoting the sustainable use of our oceans.

We can better succeed by working together. We will have substantial mutual economic benefit from doing so.

It’s obvious what needs to be done. Let’s get on with it.