Greens/EFA Round-up

Debriefing of the plenary week Strasbourg 9-13 December 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg plenary included trotecting migrants' lives in Mediterranean, reforming EU fisheries policy, deep sea fishing and destructive trawling, EU-Morocco fisheries and Western Sahara, the situation in Ukraine, repairing the emissions trading scheme, EU rules on mortgages, sexual and reproductive health and rights, promoting stability and peace beyond Europe, combatting tax avoidance through transparency, the EU as a human rights defender, bank accounts, posted workers

North East Atlantic deep sea fish stocks

Ian Hudghton

EU-Morocco fisheries agreement/Western Sahara

EP ignores major concerns and backs controversial agreement

The European Parliament today voted in favour of a new EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, two years after decisively rejecting an earlier version. The Greens criticised the vote and the agreement, which would give the EU the right to fish in Western Saharan waters despite the fact the government of Mor...

Fisheries rules

EP fails to back phasing out of destructive bottom trawling

The European Parliament today voted on new EU rules governing deep sea fishing. The Greens regretted the failure to back proposals to phase-out destructive bottom trawling (1). Commenting after the vote, Green fisheries spokesperson Raϋl Romeva said: "Today's vote on EU deep sea fishing rules ...

EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement

Press Release from the EFA Group in the EP

MEPs from the European Parliament's European Free Alliance Group have condemned as 'shameful' an agreement on fishing rights reached between the EU and Morocco. MEPs approved the EU – Morocco Fisheries agreement at a vote in Strasbourg today. The controversy stems from the inclusion in the agreeme...

Fisheries reform passes final hurdle

Press Release from SNP MEP Ian Hudghton

SNP President Ian Hudghton MEP has today (Tuesday) welcomed the European Parliament's final approval of a reformed Common Fisheries Policy which will return greater control over fisheries to Europe's fishing nations. The reformed CFP allows for decisions to be taken on a regional basis, in contrast ...

Reforming EU fisheries policy

Isabella Lövin

Deep sea fishing

Ending bottom trawling crucial for sustainable deep sea fisheries policy

New EU rules governing deep sea fishing will be voted by the European Parliament this week. The Greens believe a priority for these rules must be the phasing-out destructive bottom trawling and gillnets. This image shows the devastating consequences of bottom trawling on the North Atlantic seabe...

Fisheries

Time to ban destructive deep-sea trawling

One of the key food related items on the agenda of the plenary of the European Parliament this week is the vote on the report on Deep Sea Fishing in the North-East Atlantic. The biological characteristics of deep-sea species and the specific features of deep marine ecosystems make them particular...

Strasbourg Flash

Weekly preview of the Greens/EFA group - 9-13 December 2013

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg Plenary include - Protecting migrants' lives in Mediterranean, Reforming EU fisheries policy, Deep sea fishing and destructive trawling, EU-Morocco fisheries and Western Sahara, Ukraine: democratic danger and EU perspective, Repairing the emissions trading scheme, Mortgages - EU rules under review, Sexual and reproductive health and rights, Promoting stability and peace beyond Europe, Combatting tax avoidance through transparency, The EU as a human rights defender, Bank accounts: a basic right, Posted workers, social dumping and EU rules

EU-Morocco fisheries agreement/Western Sahara

EP fisheries committee backs controversial agreement in spite of concerns

The European Parliament's fisheries committee today voted in favour of a new EU-Morocco fisheries agreement. The Greens criticised the vote and the agreement, which would again give the EU the right to fish in Western Saharan waters despite the fact the government of Morocco has no right to trade th...

Tuna Conservation

Final day

The annual meeting of ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, got under way yesterday in Cape Town, South Africa. Among the hottest topics on the agenda will be the bluefin tuna, famed for its importance in sushi and other dishes as well as the extent of the "fishing frenzy" to catch it.