Sittings · Document

DRAFT OPINION (2024/2108(INI)) 2025-04-24

On the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Committee on Fisheries · Rapporteur: Isabelle Le Callennec

AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Fisheries submits the following to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on International Trade, as the committees responsible:

Amendment 1

Motion for a resolution

Citation 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1755 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 October 2021 establishing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve1a,
	1a OJ L 357, 8.10.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1755/oj

Or. en

Amendment 2

Motion for a resolution

Recital L

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
L. whereas it is the general assessment of the Commission that the TCA is a modern and comprehensive agreement, reflecting the EU’s interests on trade and cooperation, while, at the same time, preserving the red lines that were established by the EU institutions and the Member States during the UK’s withdrawal process; whereas for the years 2021 to 2024, the Commission, in its annual implementation reports, established that, overall, the trade arrangements for goods and services established in the TCA have functioned well, despite minor implementation issues;	L. whereas it is the general assessment of the Commission that the TCA is a modern and comprehensive agreement, reflecting the EU’s interests on trade and cooperation, while, at the same time, preserving the red lines that were established by the EU institutions and the Member States during the UK’s withdrawal process; whereas for the years 2021 to 2024, the Commission, in its annual implementation reports, established that, overall, the trade arrangements for goods and services established in the TCA have functioned well, despite serious implementation issues, in particular on fisheries;

Or. en

Amendment 3

Motion for a resolution

Recital M

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
M. whereas under the TCA, service suppliers or investors from the EU must not be treated any less favourably than UK operators in the UK and vice versa; whereas the non-discrimination principle applies to a wide range of economic activities, including the provision of services, the establishment of businesses, and the protection of intellectual property rights;	M. whereas under the TCA, service suppliers or investors from the EU must not be treated any less favourably than UK operators in the UK and vice versa; whereas the non-discrimination principle applies to a wide range of economic activities, including the provision of services, the establishment of businesses, the protection of intellectual property rights, and fisheries activities;

Or. en

Amendment 4

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
11. Notes with satisfaction the effective functioning of the TCA joint bodies; calls for the continued transparency of their work;	11. Notes with satisfaction the effective functioning of the TCA joint bodies; calls for the continued transparency of their work; calls for Parliament to receive the minutes of each specialised committee in due time, to be kept informed of ongoing political and technical discussions on a more regular basis, and to be associated as closely as possible to it;

Or. en

Amendment 5

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 14 a (new) (after subheading ‘Fisheries’)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	On the implementation of the ‘Fisheries’ Heading of the TCA since its entry into force: findings and recommendations

Or. fr

Amendment 6

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
[opinion-giving committees];	31. Takes note of the Commission’s 2023 and 2024 reports on the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), and in particular the points on the ‘Fisheries’ Heading;

Or. fr

Amendment 7

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31a. Welcomes the improved cooperation between the Parties in the annual negotiations on Total Allowable Catches (TACs), which resulted in an agreement in 2023 and 2024 enabling the application of provisional TACs to be avoided, thus ensuring clarity for the fisheries sector on the fishing opportunities for the following year;

Or. fr

Amendment 8

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 b (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31b. Deplores the instability caused by Brexit in international fisheries relations with coastal States, which makes it more difficult to achieve a balance in the exchange of fishing opportunities; deplores the fact that some coastal States are taking advantage of this instability to try to increase their fishing opportunities, to the detriment of those of the EU;

Or. fr

Amendment 9

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 c (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31c. Recalls that the UK has imposed fishing licences for European vessels to access its waters; notes that this licensing system has significantly delayed the effective implementation of the TCA, as the UK added many prerequisites to the granting of such licences, penalising in particular vessels under 12 metres which were fishing historically in UK territorial waters; deplores the fact that this has led many artisanal fishers, having not obtained a licence and been unable to relocate to other areas, to cease their activities; recalls also that the issue of replacement vessels has still not been fully resolved, leaving some European fishers very uncertain as to their fishing activity in UK waters;

Or. fr

Amendment 10

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 d (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31d. Recalls that Article 496 of the TCA provides that each Party must notify fisheries management measures that are likely to affect the vessels of the other Party before their entry into application and must give the other Party sufficient time to comment or seek clarification; stresses that, under this article, any fisheries management measure must take into account, inter alia, long-term sustainability (environmental, social and economic) and must be based on the best available scientific advice; stresses that these measures must be implemented in a proportionate and non-discriminatory manner;

Or. fr

Amendment 11

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 e (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31e. Regrets that the UK has unilaterally implemented numerous technical and fisheries management measures, including a ban on certain fisheries, the closure of new marine protected areas, the establishment of wind farms, a ban on certain fishing gear in all or part of its territorial waters and the introduction of minimum catch sizes for certain species, resulting in a drastic reduction in European vessels’ access to UK waters and fish, particularly in the six to twelve nautical miles zone;

Or. fr

Amendment 12

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 f (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31f. Deplores the fact that these unilateral measures have a chain effect on the economic and social viability of the European fisheries sector, as well as on the entire sector upstream and downstream from fishing; deplores also the fact that restrictions on access to UK waters and fish lead to a transfer of the fishing effort and thus a very high concentration of fishing pressure in European waters, in particular in the Channel and the North Sea; notes that this increased competition for access to European waters has consequences in terms of security and maritime space management, but also access to resources and increased pressure on stocks in these areas, causing a serious risk of over-exploitation of resources;

Or. fr

Amendment 13

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 g (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31g. Considers it a matter of urgency to draw up a regional management plan for the Channel and the North Sea to mitigate this impact and to avoid overfishing;

Or. fr

Amendment 14

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 h (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31h. Is concerned that the accumulation of these unilateral measures has very significant social, environmental and economic consequences both for the European fisheries sector and for fishery resources, without these cumulative effects having been either measured or taken into account by the UK, contrary to Article 494 of the TCA;

Or. fr

Amendment 15

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 i (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31i. Calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts of these measures, in order to determine whether they are proportional and non-discriminatory, and, where appropriate, to implement the retaliation or dispute settlement measures provided for in the TCA;

Or. fr

Amendment 16

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 j (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31j. Welcomes, in this regard, the Commission’s request of 25 October 2024 to establish an arbitral tribunal in order to challenge the decision to close the sandeel fishery in the English waters of the North Sea and in Scottish waters;

Or. fr

Amendment 17

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 k (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31k. Considers that measures taken by either Party should not add an excessive administrative or financial burden for European fishing vessels; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to ensure the coherence and interoperability of the electronic surveillance and camera systems put in place by the EU and the UK;

Or. fr

Amendment 18

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 l (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31l. Calls on both Parties to respect the principle laid down in Article 500 on access to waters, establishing that the Parties must discuss in good faith in order to ensure a mutually satisfactory balance between their respective interests; recalls that access to the waters of one Party must be proportionate to the TACs or average catch levels of the other Party, and that the Parties must ensure reciprocal access to the six to twelve nautical miles zone for eligible vessels;

Or. fr

Amendment 19

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 m (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31m. Calls on the Commission, in the event of a disproportionate withdrawal or reduction of access to UK waters, to use all means made available to it by the TCA, including compensatory measures such as the suspension of preferential tariff treatment granted to fishery products;

Or. fr

Amendment 20

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 14 b (new) (after paragraph 31 m (new))

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	On the end of the adjustment period and renegotiations on access to waters

Or. fr

Amendment 21

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 n (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31n. Reaffirms that, in the context of the ongoing discussions on Heading Five (‘Fisheries’) of the TCA, the Commission’s priority must be to ensure stability and legal certainty for the European fisheries sector, in terms of both fishing opportunities and access to waters; stresses that, in this sense, the ‘Fisheries’ Heading of the TCA should not be treated separately from the other Headings of the TCA, but should be seen as a full part of a more comprehensive agreement with the UK;

Or. fr

Amendment 22

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 o (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31o. Emphasises that ensuring reciprocal, stable and proportionate access to waters and fish must be a prerequisite for any new agreement between the EU and the UK;

Or. fr

Amendment 23

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 p (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31p. Notes that the TCA provided for a gradual reduction of 25 % of the EU’s TACs in UK waters; notes that this reduction in EU TACs comes to an end from 2026; welcomes the fact that, from 2026 onwards, fishing opportunities will be maintained at least at this level and will not be called into question;

Or. fr

Amendment 24

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 q (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31q. Stresses that Articles 498 and 508 of the TCA provide for the possibility for the Specialised Committee on Fisheries to consider the development of multi-year strategies for conservation and management for the setting of TACs and non-quota stocks; calls on the Commission to fully implement the opportunities offered by the TCA with a view to ensuring maximum stability and predictability for the European sector in terms of fishing opportunities;

Or. fr

Amendment 25

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 r (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31r. Notes that Annex 38 to the TCA (‘Protocol on Access to Waters’) provides for an adjustment period on the question of access to waters, and that this period expires on 30 June 2026;

Or. fr

Amendment 26

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 s (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31s. Stresses that Article 508 allows the Specialised Committee on Fisheries to develop guidelines to facilitate the practical application of Article 500 (on ‘Access to waters’) and to consider the application and implementation of Articles 502 and 503 of the TCA on the specific situation of the Channel Islands; calls on the Commission to fully implement this article in the forthcoming meetings of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries;

Or. fr

Amendment 27

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 t (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31t. Stresses, lastly, that Article 510 of the TCA sets out a review clause providing for a review in 2030 to strengthen and codify the implementation of the TCA, including as regards access to waters; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to make every effort to ensure increased access to waters in the coming years;

Or. fr

Amendment 28

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 14 c (new) (after paragraph 31 t (new))

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	On EU-UK fisheries governance and cooperation

Or. fr

Amendment 29

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 u (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31u. Stresses the importance of good cooperation between the EU and the UK, in particular on fisheries management measures and technical, customs and sanitary measures, in all the bodies provided for such cooperation, including the Specialised Committee on Fisheries; calls on both Parties to improve the functioning and governance of these bodies and to make them more transparent and to ensure that any technical measures imposed are subject to prior discussion, are based on sound scientific and socio-economic bases and are neither discriminatory nor liable to prevent the actors concerned from reaching the quotas allocated to them; calls also on the Specialised Committee on Fisheries to adapt customs and sanitary constraints for landings by the vessels of one Party on the territory of other Party, for example by putting in place a joint control plan;

Or. fr

Amendment 30

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 v (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31v. Notes that the Specialised Committee on Fisheries has met nine times since the entry into force of the TCA; regrets, however, the committee’s lack of transparency; calls for the minutes of these meetings and future meetings to be received as soon as possible;

Or. fr

Amendment 31

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 w (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31w. Reiterates the importance of involving representatives of the fisheries sector, local and regional authorities, and coastal communities in fisheries governance and management;

Or. fr

Amendment 32

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 x (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31x. Recalls that the Brexit Adjustment Reserve was established in 2021 to counter the economic, social, territorial and environmental consequences of Brexit; recalls that this EUR 5.4 billion fund was intended to benefit in particular the fisheries sector, one of the sectors most affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU;

Or. fr

Amendment 33

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 y (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	31y. Recalls that under Regulation (EU) 2021/1755 establishing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, the Commission was required to inform Parliament of the state of play of the implementation process for this reserve by June 2024 at the latest; regrets that the Commission has not provided any information on the matter so far; calls on the Commission to inform Parliament before the end of the first half of 2025 of the progress made in its evaluation of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve;

Or. fr

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR FOR THE OPINION HAS RECEIVED INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur for opinion declares that she received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the opinion, prior to the adoption thereof in committee:

Entity and/or person
Comité national des pêches maritimes et des élevages marins (France)
Comité régional des pêches des Hauts-de-France
Comité régional des pêches de Bretagne
Comité régional des pêches de Normandie
Région Hauts-de-France
Représentation de la région Bretagne à Bruxelles
Représentation de la région Normandie à Bruxelles
Union des armateurs à la pêche de France
Direction générale des affaires maritimes, de la pêche et de l’aquaculture (France)
Représentation permanente de la France auprès de l’UE
Ministère de la transition écologique, de la biodiversité, de la forêt, de la mer et de la pêche (France)

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur for opinion.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur for opinion declares that she has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.