The European Parliament adopted, by 503 votes to 71 with 33 abstentions, a legislative resolution making some amendments to the proposal for a Council regulation on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on the amendments to the Protocol setting out, for the period from 18 January 2005 to 17 January 2011, the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the Agreement between the European Community and the Seychelles. The report was tabled for consideration in plenary by Josu ORTUONDO LARREA (ALDE, ES), on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries.
The amendments, adopted under the framework of the consultation procedure, were as follows :
-a new recital states that Chapter VIII of this Fisheries Agreement, relating to port equipment, states that 'the Seychelles authorities shall lay down, in agreement with the shipowners, the conditions for using port equipment', but no action has yet been taken to meet our industry's demands as regards improving port infrastructure ;
-if fisheries sectoral policy in Seychelles is to become a reality, account must be taken of the improvement and modernisation of port infrastructure, which is currently highly congested, and of the possibility of abolishing the special landing fee for tuna, which does not exist in any other port in the world ;
-the Commission shall evaluate each year whether Member States whose vessels operate under the Protocol to the Agreement have complied with reporting requirements. Where they have not, the Commission shall withhold their requests for fishing licences for the following year ;
-the Commission shall report annually to the European Parliament and the Council on the results of the multiannual sectoral programme described in Article 7 of the Protocol as well as on compliance by the Member States with reporting requirements ;
- before expiry of the Protocol or the beginning of negotiations for its possible replacement, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council an ex post evaluation of the Protocol, including a cost-benefit analysis.