mr president first of all i would like to thank mr cadec and the ep committees that have sponsored this own-initiative report
you have regretted that the green paper on the cfp reform did not pay enough attention to the issues you raise here
my objective today is to reassure you that the commission is committed to the work taking into full account all policies that would have an impact on the cfp reform
as i have already stated the purpose of the reform is to turn around the negative spiral we are in now
we have a fisheries sector that is neither ecologically sustainable nor economically performing well
we need robust fisheries that ensure sustainable exploitation of the resources while allowing our fishermen their families and the communities involved to make a decent living from their activities
we need fisheries which are ready to meet the challenges of the market both national and international and both currently and for the future
i hear your concerns about unfair competition from third countries and the absence of a level playing field in terms of social conditions environmental and sustainability requirements and health protection laws
let me tell you that this same concern was voiced by all the member states which took the floor at the last agriculture and fisheries council
so here we need an answer
while we are changing the rules for european fisheries in the context of our cfp reform one of the biggest challenges we will have will be precisely to do our best in order to secure a level playing field for all products placed on the eu market
in this respect for instance we should all work together to fully and effectively implement our legislation against illegal unregulated and unreported fishing
i would also like to say that we remain committed to promoting the respect of all international principles and instruments of good maritime and fishery governance by our partners as well as their responsible behaviour in terms of environmental protection and social conditions
i strongly support your call for an increased coherence of our policies
we need to work together with a global and integrated vision
two thirds of the fish consumed in europe as we have already mentioned are already imported in order to ensure a steady supply of raw material to our processing industry and fair prices to consumers
yet one third of the eu market is still supplied by an eu sector that represents jobs and this part of the social fabric of many regions in europe
so while we are in the middle of a serious reform of our common fisheries policy eu trade policy should continue to take into account the complex nature of the eu's fishing sector and its economic and social realities
i look forward to working closely together with my colleague mr de gucht in order to secure the necessary time for the adjustments that are needed taking into account the pace of the ongoing cfp reform
with reference to wto negotiations we are paying particular attention to the ongoing discussions on subsidies
it is our view that we should always be able to support environmentally friendly and innovation-oriented initiatives of our member states
concerning the revision of the market policy i agree with the draft report that the new market policy of the cfp should revisit the instruments of the current common market organisation
the revision should aim at strengthening producer organisations in their ability to better link the supply to demand in terms of quality and volumes
it shall also support market supply and stability and review provisions of marketing standards and information to consumers
this brings us to labelling
consumers want to know more about the seafood they buy
they want to know where the fish was caught or raised also they want to know whether the products respect the environment and whether they have been fished sustainably
the commission is ready to work on legislative initiatives aiming at giving consumers the information they need
finally a word on aquaculture
the commission is fully committed to achieving the objectives of the strategy for the sustainable development of aquaculture as we have already discussed in the ep report
we also share the view that developing aquaculture in the eu can lead to reduced dependence on imports and better respond to constantly rising consumer demand
before closing i would like to stress that today's debate will provide an important contribution to the preparation of the cfp reform but it will also send an important political signal a positive signal to the men and women of the european fisheries sector who are prepared for tougher discipline but are also expecting a message of hope for their future
