Vella must commit to enforcing EU environmental standards

The EU must keep its leading role in environmental and maritime standards. Commissioner-Designate Karmenu Vella must be committed to the implementation of and future action on EU legislation. "There is a lot to do. Clean air, efficient use of resources and the current Seventh EU Environment Action Programme", said the EPP Group Spokesman on the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, Peter Liese MEP.

As for the EU Birds Directive, Liese called for the enforcement of existing legislation. "The Commissioner-Designate must keep a firm grip on the implementation of the EU Birds Directive, and also in his home country, Malta", said Liese.

Regarding the EU fisheries sector, EPP Group Spokesman Gabriel Mato MEP underlined: “Implementing the recently-agreed reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to put the EU firmly on the path of a sustainable fishing sector and fishing communities, must be the top priority for Mr Vella”, he said.

Fisheries play a vital role for jobs and economic activities, particularly in some countries. We ask the new Commissioner-Designate to continue to work to reduce the number of over-exploited stocks, fight against illegal and irresponsible fishing and promote the sea as a source of growth and prosperity for all citizens, providing them with better and more useful information for consuming fisheries products”, he added.

In the past legislature, the European Parliament adopted a new legislative framework which introduces fundamental changes in fisheries, including the landing requirement, to be set up between 2015 and 2019. The EPP Group will make sure that the new Commissioner takes the measures to adapt a number of fisheries regulations to the new principle of a discard ban.

Regarding the external dimension of the CFP, the EPP Group asks for a major role in international fisheries negotiations. "Concretely, we want transparency and dialogue and to take concrete measures and compromises to implement the Common Fisheries Policy", Mato concluded.