WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2948/97 by Johanna MAIJ-WEGGEN to the Commission. Danger of overfishing off the coast of Africa
C 134/42 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 (98/C 134/49) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2948/97 by Johanna Maij-Weggen (PPE) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Danger of overfishing off the coast of Africa Is the Commission aware of reports in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant of 31 July 1997 (based on reports in The Guardian)accusing the European Union of contributing to overfishing of the waters off the coast of West Africa by means of fisheries agreements with countries in West Africa? With which West African coastal countries has the Union already concluded fisheries agreements, and what is done to ensure that fishing is sustainable and does not damage the local/regional fisheries of the relevant countries themselves? With which West African coastal countries are fisheries agreements being prepared, what are the ecological conditions for these agreements, and how will the Commission protect the local and regional fisheries of the countries concerned? Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (18 November 1997) The article to which the Honourable Member refers had not come to the Commissionís attention, but it is aware of a wave of comparable criticisms in the European press, to which it has replied with a series of rectifications. The European fleet cannot be held exclusively responsible for the over-exploitation of African coastal waters, because numerous non-Community fleets also fish there. Moreover, European vessels operating under the fisheries agreements are subject to some of the most restrictive and binding conditions. Indeed, all the agreements are based on compliance with the relevant provisions of the Law of the Sea and the other international commitments entered into by the European Union for the rational and, above all, sustainable management of fisheries resources. This is why agreements provide not only for a battery of measures laying down the conditions under which European vessels can operate, but also for financial and other resources to enable the coastal state to ensure their implementation. The West African countries with which the Community has concluded fishing agreements are: Morocco, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Coête díIvoire, Sao Tome & Prin- cipe, Equatorial Guinea and Angola. As regards future agreements, the Commission has entered into exploratory talks with Namibia and Gabon. The Commission will continue to promote responsible fishing which also takes account of the mutual interests of both parties and particularly of the national fleets of these coastal states. (98/C 134/50) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2955/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Possible theft of reactor-grade plutonium by criminals A 1993 classified report on the misuse of plutonium by criminal elements was recently made public under the US Freedom of Information Act. The report Extraction and Utility of Reactor-Grade Plutonium for Weaponsí, was based on briefings given by experts from weapons centres at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore. According to the report, the probability of criminal elements making a nuclear weapon is low, but there is áan appreciable riskí because áthe consequences are so graveí. If civil reactor-grade plutonium finds its way into the hands of criminal elements, a weapon of at least one kiloton could be produced áwith modest facilities and equipmentí. One major concern addressed in the report is that plutonium could be stolen from facilities which store plutonium or plutoniumoxide, including mixed oxide (MOX) fuel