Question to the EC: Prohibition of harmful fisheries subsidies: the WTO negotiations and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

See Francisco Guerreiro’s question to the European Commission and the written answer on the prohibition of harmful fisheries subsidies.

Subject: Prohibition of harmful fisheries subsidies: the WTO negotiations and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 

WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies were launched with a mandate to ‘clarify and improve’ existing WTO rules on fisheries subsidies, which was later elaborated to include a call to prohibit certain types of subsidies considered to be harmful by many organisations, such as subsidies for the construction of new vessels. In addition, Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 aims to prohibit fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing by 2020. 

The EU must also act cohesively and deliver on the same goals as the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to avoid any contradiction with its own demands to third countries at the WTO. Moreover, a failure to close a deal due to the EU’s inability to reach an agreement internally would cast doubt on the bloc’s wider goal of backing multilateralism. 

1. Is the Commission defending this position of prohibiting harmful subsidies at the WTO negotiations in line with the mission letter of its President?

2. Is the Commission ready to use all its powers, in accordance with the prerogatives laid down in the Treaties, to make sure that harmful subsidies will not be reintroduced under the new EMFF?

Answer in writing

1. The European Union is actively and constructively defending the position of prohibiting harmful fisheries subsidies at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in line with the mission letter by the President of the Commission. The EU took a leadership role in these negotiations and was the first WTO member to present an official proposal following the establishment of Sustainable Development Goal 14.6. The EU will endeavour to achieve an ambitious and comprehensive agreement still in 2020. The EU position in these negotiations is fully in line with the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and the common fisheries policy. 

2. On several occasions, the Commission has stressed that it would use all endeavours to this end, in case the outcome of the negotiations on the new EMFF were to introduce subsidies that must be considered as harmful.

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