Francisco José MILLÁN MON

Policy topics Francisco José MILLÁN MON is active on

What Francisco José MILLÁN MON has said (40)

• 2025-11-13 “E-004513/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission The EU’s countervailing duties are achieving the intended goal: to offset the impact of Chinese subsidies without closing the EU market. The European battery-electric vehicles market is demonstrating gradual, albeit slow, growth and sales of EU-made battery-electric vehicles have increased substantially since the imposition of definitive countervailing duties in October 2024. In 2020, the market was still in the early stages of its transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles and Chinese presence was only starting to become significant, representing less than 4% of the market. By the time the definitive measures were imposed in October 2024, the size of the market had tripled and the volume of Chinese imports had been multiplied by almost 20, with battery-electric vehicles from China representing almost 23% of the EU market. However, a comparison of volumes between the last 12 months (October 2024 to September 2025) since the imposition of provisional measures in July 2024 and the 12 months immediately before (July 2023 to June 2024), shows a decrease of roughly 15% in imports of battery electric vehicles from China. Despite this decline, Chinese products still account for a significant market share, at prices that remove the injurious effects of subsidisation. The imported battery electric vehicles from China are subject to countervailing duties, which reflects the level of subsidisation established during the investigation. Therefore, the prices of those vehicles, once imported into the EU, take already account of the duties to countervail the unfair subsidisation found. As an indicator of the effect of the measures in the EU, EU production has reversed trends since the imposition of the measures and is now growing.”
  Trade relations with China · EU-China relations
• 2025-11-04 “E-004341/2025 Answer given by Mr Kadis on behalf of the European Commission 1. Import controls are essential to prevent products stemming from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing entering the EU market. This is why the Commission has reinforced the work with the Member States on this, including by developing CATCH (IT system for the management of EU catch certificates and related documents under the catch certification scheme), which became mandatory for EU importers and Member States as of 10 January 2026. 2. The Commission was aware of the situation reported by Faro de Vigo. The North Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (NPFC) Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC) noted in 2017 1 ‘that there are seven cases of two vessels with the same name and number, and recommended the automatic inclusion of the seven illegal vessels once the authorised vessels have been reregistered under new names’. After that, vessels using those names (LU RONG YUAN YU 101/102/103/105/106/108/109) without authorisation were included in the NPFC IUU list. Therefore, the LU RONG YUAN YU 101-109 authorised by China, which changed their names to LU RONG YUAN YU 810/811/812/813/815/816/817, were authorised to operate in NPFC under the new names – with their former names clearly mentioned in the NPFC Record of Authorised vessels. In 2024, the TCC stated 2 that ‘the United States of America noted that they met on the margins of TCC with China regarding vessels 17-23 on the IUU vessel list’. No update or modification of the information in the IUU list was made further to that meeting. 3. As indicated in the response to the joint advice by the Long Distance and the Market Advisory Councils on the urgent need for effective implementation of EU import control rules across Member States, the Commission has taken into account a number of recommendations in its ongoing work. 1 North Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (NPFC) report of the Second Meeting of the Technical and Compliance Committee (reference NPFC-2017-TCC02-Final Report): https://www.npfc.int/sites/default/files/201808/NPFC-2017-TCC02-Final%20Report.pdf. 2 NPFC report Seventh Technical and Compliance Committee Meeting (NPFC-2024-TCC07-Final Report): https://www.npfc.int/sites/default/files/2024-06/NPFC-2024-TCC07-Final%20Report.pdf.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries · Import of agri-food products in the EU
• 2025-10-30 “E-004267/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The deadline for transposing into national law the provisions of Directive (EU) 2023/959 concerning the new emissions trading system for buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2) 1 was 30 June 2024. Member States which did not notify complete transposition by that date have received letters of formal notice on 25 July 2024, the first step in infringement procedures. The Commission continues to monitor closely the progress of all Member States and will, where necessary, proceed to the next step of the procedure by sending reasoned opinions to those still failing to comply. Recital (17) of Regulation (EU) 2023/955 establishing the Social Climate Fund (SCF) 2 encourages Member States to submit their Social Climate Plans by 30 June 2025. Funding under the SCF is allocated to the Member States and implemented in accordance with their Social Climate Plans. The Commission and Spain have been discussing possible investments and measures, as well as other elements of the future plan. Discussions are ongoing to ensure that Spain’s plan, effectively supports those most affected by the ETS2, in line with the SCF Regulation. The Commission underlines that swift transposition of the Directive and adoption of the plan are key so that funding can reach those most in need. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/959/oj/eng. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/955/oj/eng.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Energy transition (state support)
• 2025-10-23 “E-004186/2025 Answer given by Mr Kadis on behalf of the European Commission The European Ocean Observation Initiative will take the form of a Communication from the Commission, which aims to address i.a. the strategic autonomy of the European Union regarding the Global Ocean Observing System, development of innovative Ocean Observation technologies and market opportunities, the better coordination of the European marine knowledge assets and the operationalisation of the European Digital Twin Ocean. Additionally, through the Ocean Act, the Commission aims to address issues relevant to the coordination and governance of Ocean Observation in the Member States, through the creation of a governing structure for the European Ocean Observing System. These actions do not have a geographical dimension, and the Member States will be able to determine what areas they are observing. Member States also have to consider radionuclides in their marine strategies under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 1 . While this issue mentioned by the Honourable Members will not be covered specifically under the Ocean Observation Initiative, radionuclide monitoring can already be conducted by Member States. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02008L0056-20170607.”
  EU ocean policy
• 2025-06-27 “E-002604/2025 E-002601/2025 E-002599/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not have a mandate under the Euratom Treaty to carry out this type of expedition or act in international waters. In accordance with Article 35 of the Euratom Treaty, the Commission is only entitled to access and verify the operation and efficiency of Member States’ facilities necessary to carry out continuous monitoring of the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil and to ensure compliance with the basic standards. During the 1960s, several countries disposed of their radioactive waste into the depths of the oceans. Since 1975, the London Convention has prohibited such practices and promotes the effective control of all sources of pollution of the marine environment 1 . The Commission has reviewed the outcomes of several international studies on this topic and will continue to monitor developments, including the findings of the French expedition. However, due to a lack of legal mandate, the Commission is not able to participate in such expeditions. The activities conducted by the French expedition are beyond the scope of Article 35 of the Euratom Treaty. However, as the Commission pointed out in its reply to written question E003975/2022 (see report 2 ), it has carried out a verification of radioactivity monitoring of the Galicia and Cantabrian coastal marine environment on 18 October 2021, which demonstrated that the facilities necessary for the monitoring of levels of radioactivity are adequate. 1 The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 is one of the first global conventions to protect the marine environment from human activities and has been in force since 1975. Available at: https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Environment/Documents/PROTOCOLAmended2006.pdf. 2 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/nuclear-energy/radiation-protection/radioactivity-environment/verificationsradiation-monitoring-eu-countries_en.”
  Nuclear energy · EU ocean policy
• 2024-11-14 “E-002547/2024 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission 1. On 15 May 2023, following the Commission’s recommendations, the Council of the EU authorised the opening of negotiations for international agreements between the EU and Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru on the exchange of personal data between Europol and their respective authorities competent to fight serious crime and terrorism. Negotiations for the above-mentioned Agreement with Brazil were finalized at technical level on 18 October 2024, and the draft Agreement text, which had been previously shared with the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament, was initialled by the lead negotiators. Currently, the necessary steps for the signature and conclusion of the Agreement are ongoing. The signature of the Agreement with Brazil is foreseen in 2025. Three negotiation rounds have been held with Bolivia. Two negotiation rounds and a technical meeting have been held with Ecuador. Two meetings have been held with Peru. The Commission maintains close contact with all these countries to continue and finalise the negotiations as soon as possible. Negotiations with Mexico have not yet commenced. The Commission reiterates its availability to regularly update the European Parliament on the progress of these negotiations. 2. Considering the negotiation of these international agreements is a bilateral process, it is not possible for the Commission to estimate their conclusion dates. With the aim of strengthening international cooperation in the fight against serious crime, including drug trafficking and terrorism, the Commission is working on these files as a priority.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters · Privacy & law enforcement
• 2024-11-14 “E-002548/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU attaches high importance to the fight against drug trafficking, which priorities are set out in the EU Drug Strategy 2021-2025 1 and related Action Plan 2 , and the EU Roadmap to fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, adopted in October 2023 3 . The EU written input approved by the Council 4 and shared with the co-facilitators ahead of the negotiations on the Pact for the Future 5 included a reference to this important topic. It pointed out that the Pact for the Future should step up international efforts to fight organised crime worldwide, including trafficking in drugs, firearms and human beings, migrant smuggling, environmental crimes, cybercrime, as well as corruption and money laundering. The negotiations of the Pact for the Future took place in New York with the EU Delegation to the United Nations (UN) and the Member States Missions coordinating efforts to ensure that EU priorities were well reflected in the Pact for the Future. The Pact for the Future is an extremely broad document that includes a broad set of actions, including sustainable development, international financial architecture reform, digital cooperation, youth and future generations and concrete commitments towards global governance reform, as well as on cross-cutting issues such as human rights, gender, climate and environment. During the negotiations and in order to avoid having lengthy contentious discussions on definitions, the use of lists is usually avoided. This is a typical aspect of negotiations at the UN and explains why, Action 24, through which UN members commit to prevent and combat transnational organised crime, does not include a list of specific transnational organised crimes, even though they are a priority for the EU and for most UN members. 1 EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025, OJ C 102I, 24.3.2021, p. 1. 2 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/fd218c19-c5d6-11ec-b6f4-01aa75ed71a1/languageen/format-RDF 3 COM(2023) 641 final. 4 ST 16693/23 INIT. 5 United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/79/1.”
  Regulation of drug precursors in the EU · EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2024-10-03 “E-001941/2024 Reply Following the meeting of 28 September 2023 between ministers responsible for internal security from the EU and CLASI (Latin American Committee on Internal Security), the first EU-CLASI senior officials meeting was held on 30 May 2024. On that occasion, working procedures to structure and make permanent the cooperation between the two regions were agreed 1 . Further to the ministers’ call for regular meetings, it was proposed that an EU-CLASI meeting cycle be established. The EU-CLASI meeting cycle spans 18 months (three consecutive semesters) and comprises three meeting configurations, involving ministers and senior officials. The next ministerial meeting is due to take place in the first half of 2025, in Brussels. The preparatory meeting held on 28 November 2024, co-chaired by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the pro tempore Presidency of CLASI, the Republic of Ecuador, allowed senior officials of EU and CLASI instances to take stock of the progress made during the cycle, with a view to reporting on the outcome to the ministerial meeting. EU-CLASI cooperation benefits from the support of the EU’s Europe-Latin America assistance programme against transnational organised crime (EL PAcCTO). Since 2017 EL PAcCTO has helped foster a strategic partnership between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean region in the fight against organised crime. In its second phase of implementation, EL PAcCTO 2.0, running from 2024 to 2027, continues to be a crucial instrument for supporting the launch and implementation of key initiatives within and between these regions. The EU’s cooperation with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on drug-related matters is also pursued through the EU-CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs. The Mechanism is supported by the EU cooperation programme on drugs policies between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU (COPOLAD). 1 10583/24”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2024-10-03 “E-001942/2024 Answer given by Ms Urpilainen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission shares the view that the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime is an important priority in the EU relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, as confirmed in the Joint Communication by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of June 2023 on a new agenda for relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean 1 , as well as in the Council conclusions on relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean of November 2023 2 . In addition, as stated in the EU Roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime 3 , cooperation with key partners that can help provide solutions for the prevention and the fight against organised crime is crucial. In this context, the three phases of the Cooperation Program between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU on drug policy (COPOLAD) have contributed to joint efforts to reduce the supply and demand of drugs in Latin America and the Caribbean. On the basis of all above mentioned, and in consideration of the persisting needs in the region, COPOLAD III 4 has been recently extended with no additional cost. The new end date of activities is 31 December 2025, thus covering the whole year of 2025. The Commission is currently exploring additional measures to sustain beyond 2025 key dimensions of current cooperation and coordination with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States countries on drugs-related policies. As regards the current multiannual financial framework 2021-2027, the budget available to address the growing threat of drug trafficking in a regional approach is allocated to the Europe Latin America Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime (EL PACCTO 2.0) 5 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52023JC0017&qid=1686302597845 2 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-15737-2023-INIT/en/pdf 3 https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-roadmap-steps-fight-against-drug-trafficking-and-organisedcrime-2023-10-18_en 4 https://copolad.eu/en/ 5 https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/eu-and-latin-american-and-caribbeanpartners-team-fight-against-transnational-organised-crime-launch-2023-11-21_en”
  EU relations with left-wing Latin America
• “Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our guests for their presentation. It's clearly a very dense report that needs to be carefully studied. Beginning with the blue economy. This is essential. There is increased demand for marine space. Maritime space? We need it for marine energy. And for the rest of the blue economy, of course, the problem of marine energy can displace fishing activities. And so we need to find solutions to an appropriate sharing out of this area so that. The energy and aquaculture and fisheries sectors can co-exist side by side. We don't want to ban people from traditions that have lasted for centuries. I think the study also clearly describes the challenges that we face, the resistance of certain member states to sign up to certain basic governance standards, which raises a problem for the level playing field and the importance of the EU and its influence, its potential for leadership and the changes in that leadership. We've all seen the difficulties that the high seas EU fleet has in certain oceans as regards the the fads in iChat and also in the Indian Ocean. And I think we need, as a major importer of fisheries products to wield our influence in the world of fisheries. And I think the trading weight of the EU. Can be wielded in other areas as well. Um, I mean, we hope we won't have problems with the UK as we have with Norway, but we may have to use other, other levers. And I think our commercial weight is important. And our external commercial policy, external trade policy and development policy, our relations with third countries, the so-called sustainable fisheries partnership agreements with developing countries, all of these instruments, I think, that can be placed at the service of fisheries and coordinated to defend the fisheries sector. So that this our trade power and policy and development policy can work to the benefit of our fishers, too.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Gracias. Thank you. I'm going to speak in Spanish. Mrs. Kallas. Well, if we want to be a global player, we need to boost our relations with other regions that share ideas, values and principles with us. Latin America, for example. I welcome that the EU Celac summit took place and that you were there. I'm rapporteur for the political part of the Mercosur agreement, and I would like to highlight the importance of that text, and I hope that it will come into force as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll do everything you can to ensure that it's signed. Let me now refer to Venezuela. I think we need to be clearer when it comes to Venezuela. Our position cannot only highlight the importance of maritime security in the Caribbean and the non-use of force. We also need to talk about defending human rights and fundamental freedoms and the need for democratic change in Venezuela. Maria machado will be receiving a Nobel Prize today or tomorrow, so we need to welcome that and say that we welcome it out loud. Thank you.”
  EU-Venezuela relations
• “Thank you. President. I'd like to also thank the commissioner for the information that he has given us. We're living through times of uncertainty and concern, but fortunately would appear from what the commissioner has said, we are getting closer to the United States. The trade relations with the United States are very important. Both are products or services reciprocal investment, purchases of energy and then the defense aspect as well. I think it's important to have a broad deal which covers different areas of the economy, so that both sides to the deal can get benefits from this. I that the deal not be too specific. If we take a look at the deal agreement, as was the case with China, I think we can have a similar thing with the United States. So this deal has to be balanced. It should not negatively affect sensitive areas of the European economy or, um, affect certain member states, uh, not others. And just like one of my previous speakers, I'd like to defend the agro food sector and also look at diversity of trade, for example, the agreement with Mercosur.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “I'm going to speak in Spanish. Thank you, Commissioner, for your explanations. And thank you for inviting me here as the rapporteur for foreign affairs. I think that this agreement will bring a lot of advantages, not only economically and from a trade perspective perspective, but also politically with a region that we have a lot of links with. Between Europe and Latin America. From my From my perspective, I think we need to carry out an information and communication campaign commissioner on the advantages of this agreement. It needs to be transparent and objective. The aim of the agreement is to counteract disinformation that is circulating, and also look into the safeguard mechanisms and the compensation methods that could accompany this agreement for the various affected sectors. As rapporteur, Afet would like to raise a few things. I have been faced with this paradox that there is this text that has seemed controversial, but we still don't have it. Surprisingly, there has been a lack of transparency in what the text refers to. I know that this isn't necessarily your competence here, but nor do we know whether this what the legal architecture of the text will be. We do not know whether certain chapters will be separated or not. Now, in terms of cooperation, we need to strengthen and create mechanisms. We need an association committee. There will supposedly be regular summits and hopefully this will foster political relations. This also is very important. Geostrategically they are this region is close to us in terms of values. There's this increasing growth of the Chinese presence. So we need to try and counter balance and our links with that region. It's a very important moment. We don't know what's going to happen with the United States and Trump and potential extension of links with China. So there are various different channels of diversification. And then raw materials are also very important. And I would just like to conclude by saying that it isn't a huge threat for the EU. There are countries like Brazil that have always been protectionist and they are opening up their markets, and that is a very positive thing. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “This, uh, uh, problem. And this second question is, how do you envision a lack of agreement? So what could be the repercussions in the Mercosur agreements if the EU doesn't sign the agreement? And what would be the impact in the Mercosur? I think the agreement will strengthen the Mercosur itself. I was in Argentina two weeks ago. I've heard a lot of negative, uh, comments on, uh, the agree about the agreement on the weak infrastructures, but what do you think?”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “We need a competitive Europe so we can't just stand up and face China and us without doing anything. We need to look at primary sectors. The fisheries sector in Europe has a huge potential needs to be taken into account. There are two major obstacles. Too much bureaucracy. Too many regulations. We need an omnibus for simplification. And I've talked about this, and I know the president has talked about this too. We need to get sufficient funding. The 67% cut is unacceptable, Commissioner. So from the People's Party last week we presented amendments to the report. €7 billion for fisheries and aquaculture in the next budget. This is indispensable to face up to the challenges, decarbonisation, modernisation of the fleet, important for competitiveness and for generational futures of the fisheries sector. Thank you.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• “This radical environmentalist approach, which is something that we have railed against in the last ten years, there are laws that need changing and that's why. And this is something we mentioned this morning with the commissioner. We hope that the CFP that is currently being developed by the Commission. We hope that it's really overhauled. The European fisheries sector faces numerous challenges. Generational change, decarbonisation and I'd just like to mention that for a moment. Decarbonisation faces not just technological, regulatory, financial obstacles, but with respect to the financial challenge. We're not really starting off well. In the recent proposal for the upcoming 28 2034, the Commission has proposed a reduction of two thirds of funds for fisheries decarbonisation. We said to the Competitiveness Fund, where the fisheries sector will have to compete with all other European sectors to access financing and I fear that if this goes ahead, it will be even harder to decarbonise the fleet as of 2028. Also on aquaculture in 2024, according to the FAO Sophie report. Aquaculture production for the first time was higher than extraction fisheries. But in Europe aquaculture has come to a standstill, so it's vital that we really harness the potential of Europe in this and we develop aquaculture in this public hearing.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• “Gracias, president. Thank you very much. I'd like to start by thanking the rapporteur for the text. Overall, I think it's very balanced and complete. And this is on a very complicated issue, especially if we look at what's happening now and. And often this is very, very difficult for rapporteurs. I'm going to focus on a couple of topics. Paragraph two for example on strategic dialogues and regular ones at high level. I think we can ambitious on that. As the Parliament has done in recent resolutions on transatlantic relations. I think we could have a transatlantic body. We could have the high Representative attending that and also the Secretary of State from the USA. This would allow us to have systematic, regular cooperation on foreign affairs and security. I also think we should ensure that summits between the EU and the USA should be held regularly, as we had in the 90s with Bill Clinton. We also see in the report that exchange of is is also promoted. We want to ensure that current generations and future generations become aware of the importance and the depth of the transatlantic tight that exist. And I'd like to wish the rapporteur all the best for the negotiations. I will be tabling a couple of minor amendments to complete the report. Thank you.”
  Relations with NATO
• “Thank you, Madam president of the international community. India is a fragmented there's increased polarization around the world, and there's an increase in protectionism. Now that is the context. So therefore, it is opportune for the EU to strengthen its economic relationship with the Mercosur countries. We have so many links with these countries. These are natural allies for us. We still don't have the, uh, final, um, political and cooperation dialogue part of this agreement, but we think it will allow instruments to better improve our policies, to allow us to address global and shared challenges to the fight against climate change and the fight against drug trafficking. The Mercosur agreement will also allow us to counter the Chinese China Chinese presence in the agreement. It gives us many, many opportunities for European businesses. The agreement puts an end to the traditional, um, protectionist policies of certain countries such as Brazil and Argentina, and also facilitates the availability of European products in our agreements. We need a permanent dialogue with those sectors which, uh, um, are either, um, threatened or so those who benefit. We need to highlight the true reach of the agreements. There's obviously there's compensation, there's cuz there's a range of different instruments. And we also need to have reforms in the EU which reduce bureaucracy and ensure competitiveness of the sectors which have been overregulated. Hopefully the competitiveness compost can also contribute to this. So there's still a lot of work to be done.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you. Thank you very much. Minister, I'll be speaking Spanish. I listen very closely to what you said about enlargement. And I'd like to talk about another issue, which is not just enlargement. To start by congratulating you actually, because in your programme, you commit to deepening relationship with Latin America. You also talk about supporting ratification for the agreement between the EU and Mercosur. And trade ministers have spoken about this. And yesterday the trade ministers said they're waiting for the commission proposal on the Mercosur agreement. Could you say about that? When will that commission proposal be? We were told a month ago it would be in June, but we are now in July. When will it be? Will it be September? Could you talk about the timeline a little bit? And secondly, I'd like to congratulate you on your will to deepen relationships with the southern neighbourhood. The southern neighbourhood is very, very important, especially when it comes to the Mediterranean. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to begin by expressing my support to all of those who have suffered damage as a result of these fires, especially from my region, Galicia, where there have been unprecedented fires in terms of their development and their speed, their intensity almost beyond the possibility of humans to extinguish. Against the fallacious arguments that some have given, uh, in Um, Glacier. Uh, they have worked tirelessly to fight fires, but the climate situation was such that even one of the best fire brigades in Europe was unable to control the spread of the flames. The new climate context requires us to continue learning and adapting for the future. Of course, we have to improve prevention. And of course, the Government of Galicia has spent millions in prevention. But we also need to respond quickly and effectively. So, Madam Commissioner, I would say that European funds need to guarantee a rural environment with a future stop rural exodus. Uh, our funds need to be more flexible and the rescue instrument needs to be strengthened. We need to, of course, have tougher action against arsonists. And finally, I would like to extend my thanks to all of those who fought these fires. And I would condemn people who try to exploit a catastrophe of this kind to, you know, stir people up and make political points.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Good morning colleagues. Welcome, first of all, to this constitutive meeting on the Fisheries Committee after the European elections. Welcome to all our new members and greetings to those that are no longer new. According to article rule 14 one and 2193 of the Rules of Procedure, as outgoing first Vice Chair of the Committee, I have the honour to open this meeting and oversee the election of the new Peche Committee Chair, a committee within which I have sat for many years. It is very important for Europe and for Spain. I declare this meeting open, and unless there are any objections, I propose that we adopt the draft agenda of this meeting. So if there are no objections, I see no objections. The agenda is approved. Thank you very much. As I say, this is a constitutive meeting. The purpose is to constitute the committee Bureau by electing the chair and up to four vice chairs, in accordance with rule 209 of the Rules of Procedure. The order of election is as follows. We will elect first the chair and then the vice chairs I announce. First of all, the names of the substitute members taking part in the vote as submitted by the political groups. Mr. Mateo instead of Mr. Asphalt EP Maria Cueva for Gonzalez. For the socialists. Gonsalves. For Mr. Lupo. Socialist group and for the Greens. Mr. Norquist for Mr. Aranda. And that's it. Okay, so those are the names of the substitutes. So now we will proceed with the election of the chair. We have a quorum. We have no problems with quorum. So now I would like to ask the groups to give us the names of their candidates, Mr. Martin. Yes. Thank you. Chair. On behalf of the EPP, we would like to present Carmen Crespo, which I think is a valid candidacy. She has shown us that that is the case during many years in Andalusia, and we would like to nominate her as chair of the committee.”
  Recruitment policies in the EU
• “Thank you, president, and thank you, Commissioner. Now, I'm very happy that fisheries is central to the Ocean Pact. And I also welcome the fact that one of the priorities has been to boost the competitivity of the economy. Fisheries is a strategic sector to food security, and so we need them it to be competitive. The same goes for the processing and canning industry. It's important to my area, Galicia, as many other coastal communities, but I'm going to focus in on some of the specifics. We have a chapter focusing on international Democracy Now! We need that for international fora to ensure a level playing field for our fisheries. Secondly, European funding is essential to fisheries and aquaculture. So I would have liked a specific reference to the 2027 aim in the pact. And also we need a balance between protecting the oceans and the competitiveness of our fisheries. And I am happy that we're not demonizing any fishing gear and that things will be decided on a case by case basis. I believe, Commissioner, that we need other effective conservation measures as well. Thank you.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Thank you. Chair. Thank you also for the experts who are here, especially Mr. Malamud, who is here in presence. And I think some of the experts are connected online. I asked the committee to have a hearing on the EU Mercosur agreement, and I'm sure that it will be very useful. In the past months, we've heard that the challenges and about the challenges and benefits of this agreement. But if you look at it from a geopolitical point of view, it is going to be important. I'm not going to go into details right now, and I'm not going to explain how the political cooperation chapters work, but I do believe that this agreement will create an institutional structure that will allow us to strengthen the cooperation, the political and trade cooperation both regions, and it will help us to come to an agreement in government governance. There. Will also be a strengthening ties with the four members of Mercosur. Given the instability in the world and the increasing instability with conflicts, it is important to strengthen alliances and certainties. So these Mercosur countries, by and large, share our values and our vision for the world. So it is necessary to be to strengthen our alliances. And the agreement allows us also to speak and have a dialogue in in to institutional that is settings.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you. Well, first I have to ask whether the candidate consents to being nominated. Yes, I consent. The candidate is a full member of this committee. The Secretariat tells me that the candidate has completed the Declaration on Awareness of Conflicts of Interest. The Declaration of Private interest and the declaration relating to the Code of Appropriate Behaviour. That is the case. Secretariat. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Since we have only one candidate, we can proceed by acclamation.”
  Recruitment policies in the EU
• “The recent Eu-us deal, even if not perfect, is a step forward and it's better to the absence of a common framework or a trade war. I'm thinking about the 50% tariffs slapped on India or the 39% slapped on Switzerland. It isn't easy to negotiate with the Trump administration, but we also have to take into account the security and defence dimension that brings us together. Uh, ties us to the US at these very difficult moments. There's no doubt about the fact that the deal falls short of our expectations. It is also pretty limited and restricted, but I think it gives some certainty to our companies in the face of volatility. The commission has to continue negotiating to get a better tariff deal by for sectors that have been greatly affected, olive oil and wine. Now, what kind of deadlines are we talking about for these impending negotiations? We also must bear in mind that our exports have also been harmed greatly by the current dollar devaluation. So we have very high tariffs on steel and aluminium. Um. Twice as much as those for the UK. Why is this and what's going to happen to our products? We also have to diversify our economic relations. I'm thinking of Mexico and Mercosur and we also have to bolster our internal market.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “Tomorrow's European Council will be very important. I'd like to focus on a couple of very important subjects. First of all the next MFF. I think that's insufficient in terms of structure and also in terms of quantity. We want a specific, well-funded fisheries fund. And secondly, The National Security Strategy contains provocations and and errors as well. But we need to focus on our interests and have a good relationship with the United States. We need to try to influence Washington's policy. For example, on the Ukraine pact. We should try not to be reactive and be proactive and anticipate decisions. We need to have a long lasting and fair peace. We need to continue supporting Ukraine with options for supporting it. And we also need to move towards strategic autonomy. We also need to diversify our relationships and have them with countries and bolster them with countries across the world. For example, we have the EU agreement. We hope this will be signed as soon as possible.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• “If you listened carefully, perhaps there are problems with interpretation, but I've said, I have spoken to our farmers and and explained the reality of the agreement. I explained quotas, the compensation which has already been in the agreement, and also said that we need to implement reforms in our internal legislation, because I know very clearly that the farming sector has been the victim of overregulation for many years now, when competitiveness has been taken into account. And I hope that you heard this, I said this to the Commissioner as well. I hope that the competitiveness compass needs to include our farmers as well. Their their, um, sick of overregulation. That's the only thing I agree with you on.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “There needs to be active cooperation with them. Collaboration. Even now, when we look at and analysing things, we mustn't just have environmental analyses. Whenever we analyse, we must also have social and. Uh, economic but also so economic, social, cultural impacts. Uh, all of this should be included. And I'm not sure that's necessarily reflected in the current draft text. Now, my final point, chair, I'd like to have explicit reference of conservation measures. Area based conservation measures. I think these are mentioned implicitly, but I think there needs to be more explicit mention of them. The conference of the Parties on Biological Protections establishes these measures, and so they should therefore be included. There needs to be explicit reference to these conservation measures within the text. Thank you.”
  Nature protection and restoration in the EU
• “Sir, I'm going to be a bit lengthier in my comments, given that I was so short at the beginning. I said the corporation could extend to other areas. One of the big challenges where the agreement could be useful is drug trafficking. Unfortunately, Europe has become the world's top market for cocaine, and a lot of it comes from Mercosur, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Rosario, Paraguay, Bolivia. So, of course, there are other harbors in Ecuador from whence this comes. But I think also the port of Santos in Brazil are a gateway for drugs. So this is one of the aspects where this Mercosur agreement and. Could be useful to fight this.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• “Thank you. The upcoming summit with China is a good opportunity to raise bilateral and global issues at the highest level. The bilateral relationship is not going through a good period. We have this growing trade deficit, particularly due to our industry's difficulties in accessing the Chinese market. They block access to critical minerals to while their companies enjoy benefiting from our markets. We need a level playing field. We also need greater diversification of markets and we need to continue with de-risking. This summit will also be an opportunity to work on global challenges together pandemics, drug trafficking, illegal fisheries, peace, and also the green transition. We need to look at China's relationship with Russia to China should be contributing to peace rather than helping the aggressor. We also need to ensure that dual use exports to China do not end up going into Russian arms. It's an increasingly complex world. China as a superpower has global responsibilities. It needs to shoulder them, and we need to stress that at the summit.”
  EU-China relations
• “This is a fundamental pillar of the EU. It reduces inequalities between countries and regions in my country. In Galicia, the cohesion funds have been absolutely key for economic modernisation and developing infrastructure. Galicia and its government show how well you can execute and implement these funds. We've seen the Commission's proposal for the next MFF. I think it is a shame that this proposal is more centralised. Regions understand the needs of the people in their local areas. The best best. Secondly, I think it is a shame that we have seen budgetary cuts to cohesion around a 15% cut when we look at the current MFF. Of course, we want to support innovation and competitiveness, but we cannot reduce support to cohesion when we look at cuts. I also have to mention the cuts for agriculture and fisheries. The commission's proposal only looks at 200 uh billion um for fisheries. That is around a 60% cut. And we will work to counter that. And I hope the Spanish government will work along the same lines. Thank you.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “But this was in limbo because. We had the UK in the European Union for so long, but we haven't seen, we haven't seen, for example, a clause which affects the legal positions of both sides. I think the problem is that there's a lack of ambitious. I'm from Spain and this is an issue that affects us most, I don't think. I think. We say, please be a little bit flexible chair with me because this is a very important issue. Now, there's no reference to the issue of Gibraltar with the agreement that was signed on the 3rd of September by Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Starmer. It looks like Gibraltar has disappeared from that. I could ask you many questions, but we don't have a text. So I've come here really to show how disappointed I am talking about taxes and the unequal treatment in taxation. We have to. Apparently these taxes need to be aligned, but this hasn't actually happened. What? Could the speaker please slow down? We also have the transaction act on services. Miss Alberola talking about legal persons. We need to maintain the flow of workers across the borders. But these these, um, legal persons. So we have 30,000 jobs. These are these are not actually included in the agreement. Could the speaker please slow down? It's impossible. The. We also have other topics. What measures will be taken.”
  EU-UK data transfer
• “Sorry, I was just saying a thank you to the chair and thank you to the research service of the Parliament and the people presenting this report, which is very comprehensive and wide ranging. It covers a lot of things. I'd like to begin by saying that this study, which has to be read with care shows that the current CFP is not up to all of the political and economic and social, technological, legal and environmental challenges that are out there that face the fisheries sector. The administrative burden of the CFP is still high. We recently saw a graph showing the number of vessels. You know, the number has constantly decreased over the years. The number of vessels that kilowatt hours are. People employed in the sector and so on and so forth. Fishing capacity. And on top of that, there's this external dimension of our fisheries policy that you referred to in your presentations. The defense of the fleet and the defense of European standards. Well, that's not been very successful. This is a point I often stress the overly environmentalist approach that we take in the current CFP, I think is its weak point. And in this context, I would like to ask you, do you think. That this the Commission's assessment of the CFP is sufficient, or should there be a more thorough reform of the CFP? You mentioned important challenges like, you know, generation renewal and decarbonization. I think this is a problem linked to fishing capacity, but there's also a technological challenge. What would be the fuel of the future? And then economic deficits, the economic challenge. How is this transition the modernization of engines. How is that to be paid for? You call for more coherence between the implementation of CFP and environmental legislation. I think that environmental objectives are very important and very respectable, but they shouldn't prevail over other important aims of the CFP, which are the economic and social objectives. I think a balance has to be struck, and that indeed has been upheld by the Court of Justice this January. And so I think that's what the CFP should do strike the right balance between protection and production. And this is why we need the best possible biological advice. But we also need the right economic and social advice. And now, if you don't mind, Madam Chair, I'd like to quickly mention aquaculture. This sector needs to become more competitive. We need a level playing field. We need to promote agricultural production. Aquaculture production. Sorry. Member states must realize that the sector faces all sorts of administrative hurdles to overcome. So there is a risk of stagnation. And also there's the question of the competition from third country products that don't respect the same standards. So aquaculture and the fish canning and seafood canning sector and processing sector should be taken into account when we are, you know, negotiating agreements with other countries. I'll leave it at that. Thank you.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Thank you very much. It is important, Commissioner, for the MFF to have a strong cap with direct payments specifically to farmers, small farmers, family farms and mountainous areas. It's also important for us to maintain the rural development pillar, which is essential for regions like mine in Galicia. I also am welcome the fact that we're going to have a simplified, less bureaucratic cap. The EPP has requested that time and time again. Thank you Commissioner. And also it should be adapted to each area. So satellite monitoring that avoids in-situ controls could be counterproductive. In Galicia where we have a small farms, we have seen that there have been major errors in monitoring. That means that farmers have had allegations brought against them and then they have to defend. And that's more bureaucracy. Therefore, we need to have a flexible cap. Biodiversity islands are not going very well with the climate and the small farms in my area. Thank you.”
  Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Donatella, for your presentation and your explanations. This is a very sensitive question. As the chair has already said. She stressed how important this issue was. The commission proposal limiting the fishing opportunities for anchovy in such a way is not good news. I know you do have the Ices report of the 21st of June, but we do hope there will be a new Ices report on the general state of the stock. But the TAC proposed the reduced TAC is a 54% reduction. As Mr. Teller said, this is a major cut and there is an additional restriction for the southern component, the southern zone, which is basically the Bay of Cadiz, where basically all that's allowed is 969 tonnes. That's going to be a massive cut for the regional fleet, which depends heavily on anchovy. All I want to say is that I hope that the ministers in the council today will correct the commission proposal. I suppose that's what they'll be discussing. They perhaps haven't got a solution yet. And I also hope that for the future, The Commission will also take into account three aspects of sustainability not purely environmental sustainability, but also economic, economic and social sustainability. Along the lines of the Court of Justice ruling of the 11th of January this year. As you are very well aware, Mr. Donatello, and while I have the floor, I would like to point out as a positive that the Commission did finally take into account the socio economic aspects for for the pollock quota, the tax for this year, we're initially proposing a 53% cut, an extremely drastic cut, which would have had a huge economic impact. Because this is a mixed fishery, it's a choke species entailing a quota suspension. But the commission was only taking into account the state of the stocks and not the socio economic situation. And finally, the Commission saw reason following member States protests and the scientific, Technical and Economic Committee of the fisheries drafted a report on the socio economic impact that stfc and that has now been corrected, and I hope that the Council of Ministers will confirm that correction and substantially increase the pollock quota, which is extremely important for my country, and we look forward to the good news of the confirmation of that correction. And the economic and social impact should always be taken into account when considering quotas. It must not be solely the environmental aspects that we focus on. All aspects of sustainability need to be taken into account, and I hope that in future we will have a system whereby we don't look just at Ices data, but also the economic and social impact data. Thank you.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “The authors say that thanks to this agreement, particularly this new institutional framework that's being created, there will be more institutionalization within the Mercosur side itself. And so this is something that is a benefit, I think, for an institutional terms for Mercosur, because we'll see themselves strengthened as an institution. The report also talks about the different geopolitical components. And I do think, well, if I could just spend a couple of moments on this, I think it's particularly valuable. We talk about the fight against organized crime here, in particular against drug trafficking. Just at the end of May, I was in Argentina and Uruguay as a member of this committee chair. And our counterparts on the other side told us about this threat. And I am almost finished talking about the threat to security and the challenge that drug trafficking presents to them. We're very aware of the international component of this problem, and here in the EU, we cannot forget that Europe is the largest consumer of cocaine in the world. So this agreement could possibly serve as a tool for us to strengthen cooperation in this very important matter and in others which are equally relevant. I'm almost done. Chair, I am almost done. Let me just congratulate the speakers for the work that they've done. I think now we really need to take decisive steps forward towards the signing and ratification of it. Think of the agreement. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Economic relations between the EU and the US are the most important in the world, not just trading goods, but in services and investment. The figures show the links between the economies that benefit both of them. A tariff war is not good for consumers, workers, companies or the economy in general. It only benefits inflation. As buoyant an economy as the US used to have. Actually registered 0.3% fall over the last quarter and it could enter into recession this quarter. We need to continue negotiations with Washington. The EU should be putting forward a positive and ambitious agenda for the US. Trade in energy technology and also covering challenges like trade with China. And why not public procurement? We tried to conclude ttiP ten years ago unsuccessfully. What a shame. So I think we need to continue to diversify our economic and trade relations through agreements such as Mercosur and with Mexico and Asian countries like India. And we shouldn't forget, Commissioner, that we need to deepen the internal market as requested in the letter report last year.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “Thank you. Chair. Thank you to the rapporteur for the work done. The Bbnj is an important initiative. If we're going to conserve and protect on high seas. But we still need five more to sign up to the agreement if it is to be ratified. So I think it's a timely moment to say that we are working on getting those ratifications. Now, there are some concerning issues for me. We must ensure that the moss are protected. They must be upheld. The memos have ensured sustainability. They have ensured conservation. The Bbnj recognises the importance of rfmos. It says that there will be respect for the powers of Rfmos, and that nothing will be done to harm regional organisations such as Rfmos. It's important that the rfmos take precedence. Fishing matters and fishing issues should be dealt with within Rfmos, so decisions of the conference of the parties should never undermine or harm the rfmos. So that's the first issue still on the issue of rfmos. I want to point out I want to react to article or amendment five of the shadow report, which says that there needs to be consultation of rfmos. No, there needs to be more than mere consultation of rfmos.”
  Nature protection and restoration in the EU
• “Thank you very much indeed, madam. Forest fires require a coordinated response at European level, and I think preparedness, therefore, is an important component of that. But prevention is not enough. We need to be able to respond effectively in extinguishing the fires. And in Spain we have sufficient expertise in this. But the development fund should be there to invest, not just in prevention. Now, the Commissioner has explained that the European Union will have a permanent fleet, will expand that fleet. It will invest in firefighting planes and helicopters. Now I'm from Galicia and we have had a lot of fake news circulated by a member from Galicia talking about the collapse of the bipartisan government 20 years ago as being responsible for forest fires. This isn't just an EP matter for Galicia. Rather, we have an integrated centre for firefighting insurance and we are consolidating this with international standards for joint training programmes. And this year we've had fire fighting planes from Estonia as well as from the Netherlands.”
  Management of EU forests
• “And thanks to this agreement, the EU will be able to diversify its supply, uh, trade routes. And I'm talking about China. I'm thinking about China, for example, lithium. We import a very high proportion of lithium from China. But Mercosur could supplant part of that. The EU has a great exporting power and we need to strengthen our presence in these countries, especially given our difficulties with some markets such as the US, given their new trade policies. But even more beneficiary burden to us will be. Even more than the benefits of the agreement. We should think about what we would be missing out if there was no agreement. It would be a very bad display of being incapable of bringing 25 years of negotiations to a close. And we should really. And then China. Chinese presence in Latin America will be further enhanced if Europe doesn't manage to get a toehold. Given that the US is retiring. And it would also accentuate divisions amongst us. And let me conclude by saying that this agreement is a huge opportunity in terms of trade, economic opportunities and political opportunities for both regions. But I'm going to stop here because today is all about the experts who are here, so I thank them already.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur