Brussels, 10/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is proposing a reduction in bluefin tuna quotas for next year but it is by no means certain that its proposal will be accepted. The member states still have to endorse the EU position ahead of next week's meeting in Paris of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Several countries, headed by France and Italy, are continuing to press for the current catch sizes to be maintained.
Not without difficulty, late in the afternoon of Tuesday 9 November, the Commission adopted a proposal on the position to be argued by the EU at the ICCAT meeting. The Commission suggests that the EU should work for a “reduction” in bluefin tuna catches, though without giving any indication of scale. “We have a clear proposal for a reduction in bluefin tuna quotas based on science,” Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanki announced. The European position should be based on a “precautionary approach,” she stated. The Commission will also seek to “promote the process of eliminating fishing overcapacity and to ensure that effective control measures are reinforced,” she added.
Agreement within the Commission was reached after several commissioners had opposed a first draft which proposed a “substantial reduction” in the bluefin tuna quota. Sources have revealed that the French, Maltese, Italian and Spanish commissioners along with Portuguese President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso expressed reservations on this substantial reduction sought in particular by Damanaki.
The Commission proposal will be discussed at COREPER (committee of member states' permanent representatives to the EU) on Friday 12 November. (L.C./transl.rt)