Luxembourg, 26/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 26 October, Estonia and Lithuania complained that the European Commission had overstepped its mandate in accepting, on behalf of the EU, the closure by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) of the shrimp fishery in zone 3M, the Flemish Cap, next year. The regional fisheries organisation took the decision at its annual meeting in Halifax, Canada, on 20-24 September.
At the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, eight member states, including Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Denmark, Spain and France, supported the criticism by the Estonian and Latvian delegations. This group of countries takes the view that there should have been more consultation on the spot within the terms of the negotiating mandate given to the Commission. They believe, in short, that the Commission ignored the opinions and interests of the countries of the EU.
Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki explained that the Commission had followed scientific advice which had indicated that the shrimp stock in this zone was in a poor state, and that it had achieved consensus on all the other measures. NAFO brings together 12 contracting parties: Canada, Cuba, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, France (for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon), Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States. (L.C./transl.rt)