Brussels, 02/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) will be one of the priorities of the Belgian Presidency. At the November meeting of the Council of EU fisheries ministers, the Presidency will hold a debate on placing the emphasis on cooperation between the scientific community and the fisheries sector. Among the other important issues are negotiations on fishing possibilities for 2011.
In addition, the Belgian Presidency will work to take forward the debate on multiannual management plans. It hopes that, by the end of the year, multiannual plans for anchovy stocks in the Bay of Biscay and western stocks of horse mackerel in the Atlantic will have been adopted. In addition, the Presidency will contribute actively to the evaluation of the plan for managing stocks of plaice and sole in the North Sea, and will begin the debate on the long-term plan for salmon in the Baltic Sea.
Here is an indication of the issues to be dealt with according to the Agriculture-Fisheries Council indicative schedule.
Council of 26 October. It is planned that the Council will adopt a decision setting rules applicable to imports into the EU from Greenland of fisheries products, live bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, marine gastropods and by-products thereof.
There is also likely to be: - an exchange of views on the annual EU-Norway consultations with a view to signing a bilateral fisheries agreement for 2011; - a debate on the issues for the annual ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) meeting in Paris from 17 to 27 November 2010; - a political agreement on the fishing possibilities for 2011 in the Baltic Sea.
Council of 29-30 November. The Council is expected to formally adopt the regulation setting guide prices and community producer prices for certain fisheries products for the 2011 fishing year. Political agreement is expected on the regulation setting the fishing opportunities for EU vessels for certain deep sea fish stocks in 2011 and 2012. The Commission will brief ministers on the EU-Norway negotiations (bilateral agreement for 2011).
Council of 13-14 December. At the traditional end-of-year marathon meeting, ministers will try to agree fishing possibilities for 2011 for certain fish stocks in the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Channel. The Council is expected also to agree fishing quotas for the Black Sea in 2011. (L.C./transl.rt)