Aqra’ l-ittra hawn >> Risposta tal-Kummissajru Sinkevičius għall-ittra tiegħi

Brussels MARE.D.1/JB/

Subject: Reported incidents at sea in the dolphinfish fishery

Dear Mr Agius,

Thank you for your recent letter to Commissioner Sinkevičius on the serious incidents that were recently reported in the Mediterranean in the context of the dolphinfish fishery.

As you are aware, the fight against illegal fishing is one of the Commissioner’s priorities, as is the safety of fishermen at sea. In this context I would like to reassure you that the Commission takes the events you referred to very seriously. I also thank you for having communicated with us last year to help raise awareness on this issue.

Firstly, I would like to recall that, as a general matter, the EU supports countries such as Tunisia, through its neighbourhood policy, in fulfilling their international obligations.

As you indicated yourself, these types of incidents are not new. In close cooperation with the Maltese authorities, we have prepared last year GFCM measures, which were eventually adopted and entered into force on 18 April 2020. This is Recommendation GFCM/43/2019/1 on a set of management measures for the use of anchored fish aggregating devices in common dolphinfish fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides for a framework at international level to address this recurring problem. The adoption of this recommendation is an important development for the management and governance of this fishery. In particular, as you might know, it provides for a prohibition to fish under Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) that have been set up by vessels from another country, as well as the possibility to adopt a code of conduct for this fishery.

We have recently met with the Maltese authorities to discuss how the Commission could further support Malta to address this situation. We are currently exploring with them how to best involve the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) in this matter in support of the control of the GFCM measures, and in particular the prohibition for non-Maltese vessels to fish under Maltese FADs. This would provide added benefits to the patrol means already employed by the Maltese Government. In cooperation with other Member States, notably Italy, we are also considering reinforcing the control of catch certificates for imported dolphinfish, in order to detect possible illegally caught fish on the EU market.

In the longer term, we are reflecting about all other possible actions we could carry out in the future in accordance with the GFCM recommendation.

As you can see, we can congratulate ourselves for the adoption of the GFCM dolphinfish recommendation, which provides us with new and meaningful leverage to address these incidents. We are now working on using this leverage in the interest of improving governance in the dolphinfish fishery and protect Maltese fishermen and their activities.

Yours sincerely,

Veronika VEITS

Acting Director

Lil Virginijus Sinkevičius, Kummissarju Ewropew għall-Affarijiet Marittimi u s-Sajd

cc. Charlina Vitcheva Direttriċi Ġenerali għall-Affarijiet Marittimi u s-Sajd

cc. Valerie Laine, Kap tal-Unita

Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea

Għażiż Kummissajru,

Fis-sittax ta’Jannar 2019 ktibt lis-servizzi tiegħek fejn spjegajt fid-dettall is-sitwazzjoni fl-ibħra Maltin u dawk konfinanti dwar is-sajd għall-lampuki (coryphaena hippurus). Il-Kummissjoni irrispondiet l-ittra tiegħi (Ref. Ares(2019)1566697 – 08/03/2019) u wara ressqet proposti fi ħdan il-GFCM biex jiġu rikonoxxuti u protetti l-kannizzati tas-sajjieda Maltin u Għawdxin. Ta’ dan nirringrazzjak.

L-isfond ta’ din it-talba li qed nagħmel illum jibqa dak deskritt fl-ittra tas-16 ta’ Jannar. Sfortunatment, u minkejja li issa jeżistu disposizzjonijiet aktar ċari tal-GFCM, u minkejja wegħda pubblika mill-awtoritajiet Maltin li jkunu preżenti fl-ibħra konċernati, is-sitwazzjoni ma’ tjiebet xejn, tant li sa din il-ġimgħa stess daħlu rapporti li s-sajjieda Maltin u Għawdxin qed jerġgħu jisfaw misruqa kontinwament mis-sajjieda Tuneżini li qed jaħsdu l-frott li jkunu żergħu u kkultivaw huma – u ċioe, jistadu fuq il-kannizzati li jkunu ġew preparati mis-sajjieda Maltin u f’ħafna każijiet jagħmlu ħsara irreparabbli lill-istess kannizzati.

Jeħtieġ nindirizzaw din il-kwistjoni b’mod aktar dirett mal-awtoritajiet Tuneżini kif ukoll malawtoritajiet Taljani. Nitolbok ġentilment għaldaqstant tikkunsidra dawn id-domandi għal risposta kif ukoll għal azzjoni immedjata (ġialadarba l-istaġun huwa limitat u jagħlaq f’Diċembru) min naħa tiegħek:

1. Tikkonferma li l-Unjoni Ewropea tat fondi lit-Tuneżija biex il-bastimenti Tuneżini jkunu ekwipaġġjati bi tracking system VMS (VesselMonitoring System)?. Jidher li tali fondi jinkludu apparat għal control room, taħriġ għal spetturi Tunezini biex ikunu kompetenti jaħdmu fil-control room kif ukoll VMS tracking systems għal fuq ilbastimenti nfushom li skont ir-rakkomandazzjoni tal-GFCM huma obbligatorji għal kull bastiment akbar minn 15-il-metru. Nitlob ġentilment l-assistenza tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea biex tivverifika jekk it-tali tracking systems hux qed jintużaw kif mistenni mill-bastimenti Tuneżini li jistadu fl-ibħra internazzjonali u jekk dan huwa l-każ, jistgħux l-awtoritajiet Tuneżini jagħtu rapport dettaljat tas-sajd ta’ bastimenti Tuneżini fl-ibħra fil-Lbiċ u fil-Majjistral ta’ Malta fejn is-sajjieda Maltin għandhom it-tagħmir tagħhom.

2. L-Aġenzija Ewropea tal-Kontroll tas-Sajd għandha kompetenza biex tissorvelja losservanza tar-regoli fl-ibħra internazzjonali. Dan diġà qed isir regolarment u b’ċerta effiċjenza fis-sajd għat-tonn. Fil-fehma tiegħek, ikun għaqli li din l-Aġenzija tissorvelja s-sajd għall-lampuki fl-ibħra konċernati u taġixxi b’deterrent għas-sajd illegali fuq skaptu privat?

3. Bħal ma nafu, biex tindirizza sajd illegali trid tindirizza s-suq tiegħu. Jiena infurmat li uħud mill-bastimenti Tuneżini involuti fis-sajd illegali fuq skaptu ta’ sajjieda Maltin u Għawdxin jidħlu f’portijiet Taljani sabiex ibiegħu il-qabda tagħhom. Insaqsi lillKummissjoni Ewropea jekk dina tistax titlob rapport dettaljat, kif suppost isir taħt irregoli viġenti, dwar il-landings ta’ lampuki fil-portijiet Taljani u partikolarment dawk li jsiru minn bastimenti Tuneżini awtorizzati biex iħottu f’portijiet Taljani. Insaqsi wkoll jekk il-Kummissjoni Ewropea flimkien mal-awtoritajiet Taljani hix f’posizzjoni li tidentifika u tindirizza każijiet suspettati ta’ frodi tas-sajd fejn bastimenti mhux awtorizzati jħottu f’portijiet Taljani jkunu qed jittrasferixxu l-qabda tagħhom fuq bastimenti li jkunu hekk awtorizzati. Nitlob ukoll li l-azzjoni taħt dan il-punt tiġi abbinata l-azzjoni taħt punt 1, u ċioe, li jsir monitoraġġ tal-moviment tal-bastimenti Tuneżini mill-ibħra konċernati sal-portijiet Taljani u viċe versa.

4. Teżisti l-possibilita’ li l-bastimenti involuti fis-sajd illegali in kwistjoni jkun qed joperaw mingħajr il-Vessel Monitoring System minkejja li din hija obbligatorja skont id-disposizzjonijiet tal-GFCM. Nitlob f’dan il-kuntest li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea titlob rendikont mill-awtoritajiet Tuneżini u mis-Segretarjat tal-GFCM dwar limplimentazzjoni ta’ dawn l-obbligi u nsaqsi jekk huwiex possibbli għall-Kummiss joni Ewropea u l-GFCM li jsiru spot checks abbażi tar-ritratti ta’ bastimenti Tuneżini meħuda b’mod regolari mis-sajjieda Maltin (3 ritratti reċenti mehmuża għal dan ilgħan).

Nirringrazzjak tal-konsiderazzjoni tiegħek u nistenna mingħandek,

Peter Agius

Kandidat għall-Elezzjoni Ewropea

Anness – Ritratti ta’ bastimenti Tuneżini mehmuża:

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