EP to vote on tuna ban next week

The European Parliament has lost no time in riding the wave of support for an international ban on trade in bluefin tuna.

Following a U-turn on the issue by France and Italy, the EP will next week vote on an urgent resolution presented by its Environment Committee urging the European Commission and EU member states to support the proposed ban.

France and Italy had originally made up a blocking minority at EU Council level together with Malta, Spain, Greece and Cyprus until they reversed their position.

However, the EPP group, the largest in the chamber, is trying to derail the resolution and is proposing amendments against a total ban. They were presented yesterday by five MEPs, including Simon Busuttil.

"Following the recent developments in which France and Italy reversed their position and are now supporting the ban, the Parliament is doing its utmost to increase pressure on the Commission to come out in favour of the ban," an EP official from the Fisheries Committee said.

"Although the EPP is trying to stop the resolution it is highly probable that the majority of MEPs in the Chamber are in favour of the ban and the EPP will not be successful this time round. The Socialists are for the ban and that makes the EPP's life very difficult in trying to garner a majority," the official said.

The Commission yesterday said it was still not in a position to issue a recommendation to member states.

Asked to state when it would pronounce itself, the Commission's environment spokesman said it had decided to leave the matter in the hands of the new college of commissioners to be appointed next week.

"So at the moment we don't know when the Commission will come out with its formal recommendation."

The EU executive is, however, expected to support the ban.

The attention of the pro-environment lobby is now turning to Spain, which occupies the presidency of the EU. A WWF official said the country had by far the largest bluefin tuna fishing fleet in the Mediterranean and should now join Italy and France.

Following a proposal by Monaco, a meeting of the United Nations Convention on Endangered Species, known as CITES, will be held in Doha, Qatar in mid-March to decide on whether to include the bluefin tuna species in its Annex 1 register. This would put the species in the endangered category and result in an international ban. Malta's lucrative trade in tuna would then probably fall through.