Document type Answer to question E-000006/2023 by the European Commission
Authors: question: Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA), Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA) Answer: Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission
Question: Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) requires the Union and Member States to ‘pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals’ when formulating and implementing the fisheries policy.
The Commission is currently drafting its report on the functioning of the common fisheries policy (CFP), which remains one of the last EU policies listed in Article 13 TFEU that does not take animal welfare into account.
In the last decades, scientific research has progressed and demonstrated that fish, crustaceans and cephalopods are sentient beings and that the welfare of these animals when captured is terrible. The public is also increasingly concerned by the welfare of these animals. In its consultation in advance of the CFP evaluation, the Commission reported that members of society had strongly expressed concerns about animal welfare in fisheries.
1. Will the Commission ensure that the report on the functioning of the CFP includes the issue of animal welfare in fisheries policy?
2. Will it address the issue of animal welfare in fisheries in the future?
Answer: The Commission is currently preparing a communication on the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The communication will address each of the provisions of the policy and take stock of its implementation.
However, the CFP sets rules for sustainably managing European fishing fleets and conserving fish stocks. The Commission has already developed over the last 40 years an extensive legislative framework on animal welfare. Therefore, the Commission does not envisage the inclusion of a specific reference to animal welfare within the CFP.
Current EU legislation on animal welfare lays down general provisions to protect animals kept on farms. These provisions are not specific to fish and do not apply to animals living in the wild. The Commission, by the end of 2023, will revise this legislation, as described in the Farm to Fork strategy and has already carried out a fitness check of the relevant legislation. An inception impact assessment roadmap has been published in July 2021[4], while the impact assessment itself is still ongoing. The options envisaged in this roadmap do not include animals living in the wild[5]. Based on the ongoing impact assessment, the Commission will consider introducing additional provisions related to fish, based on scientific opinions, once available.
