Plenary debates a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) calling for the end of trade in shark and ray fins in the EU. The European Citizens' Initiative “Stop Finning - Stop the Trade” gathered the support of over 1.1 million signatures with the minimum threshold reached in 15 member states. Extracts from the debate. The transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please, check against delivery.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

BILBAO BARANDICA, Izaskun (Renew, ES)

animal welfare (T)

MATO, Gabriel (EPP, ES)

sustainable fisheries (T)

Fisheries (T2)

MATIĆ, Predrag Fred (S&D, HR)

ROOSE, Caroline (Greens/EFA, FR)

SINKEVIČIUS, Virginijus (LT, EC)

European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Finning – Stop the trade": extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), We know already that it is forbidden to remove fins on boards of ships and also to to trade them. So we need to bring them on lines in an entire form. But we also know that still the EU remains a huge hub for shark fins and it's a made an export and transit centre for Asia. And relatively speaking, the role of Europe is getting bigger because global trade is going down and the European role remains comparable.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), It's an endangered species. The practices are cruel, so let's act on it. And that's also the very clear demand from the citizens. And this is also the very clear question to the commission. You will probably say nice words about the initiative, but we want to hear concretely what is the commission going to do with this demand from our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVI&#268;IUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, The practice of shark finning is already banned in all regional fisheries management organisations. Some shark species need protection through a retention ban list. Other species can still be fished sustainably through appropriate conservation and management measures, and those conservation and management measures may include a limit of total allowable catch.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVI&#268;IUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Against this background, the Commission is currently preparing the reply to the European Citizens Initiative. Stop finning, stop the trade which it will adopt by July 2023, in line with the provisions of the ECI Regulation.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Gabriel MATO (EPP, ES), If we try and close this, then all we would be doing it would be pushing this trade outside of the EU where the fishing of sharks is much more sustainable and the EU. We in the EU only a small percentage of the global trade in shark fins.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), Predrag Fred MATI&#262; (S&amp;D, HR), Fins have no nutritional values, but they are not tasty and they are harmful for our health. And it is also they are also very dangerous because because of high levels of mercury are swimming and other poisonous metals. So we are talking exclusively about the profits of those implementing this practice. Legal market for fins of sharks to open areas for the market of illegal fins because it is really difficult to identify their origin. It is really difficult to identify the fins that were detached from the shark because you can only use a DNA test. But this is very rare because it is very costly.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Izaskun BILBAO BARANDICA (Renew, ES), The initiative does not bring anything new for the sustainability of the European fleet. However, on the contrary, it brings new restrictions for other professions in the sector and will lead to high levels of pressure on the species when afloat. Fleets in other parts of the world are not subjected to these. So China, Japan or or Korea will continue to block the new measures in our OES and they will continue to be clandestine transshipment in the high seas.

SOUNDBITE (French), Caroline ROOSE (Greens/EFA, FR), This ban is needed. The fact is still illegal. Shark fin trade facilitates the laundering of illegal fins, which is the fins that come from finning of protected species. Banning the shark fin trade would make it easier to combat the illegal trade in protected species and would enable a reduction in the number of shark killed every year to stop the mass slaughter of elephants.