Brussels, 15/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Increased cooperation among Black Sea coastal states, multiannual management plans and a new regional management body: these are the main changes in fishing policy in the Black Sea called for by the European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday 13 September.
With its adoption of the report by Iliana Malinova Iotova (S&D, Bulgaria) on Black Sea fisheries, the EP backed the view that cooperation among Black Sea states is essential. Hailing European Commission efforts to establish working groups with Russia and Turkey, MEPs also stressed the need to involve other Black Sea coastal states, such as Ukraine and Georgia. The Parliament took the view that setting total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas annually, as is done at present, “should not be the only option for managing Black Sea fisheries”. It argued that multi-annual management plans should be promoted. It called, too, on the Commission to consider setting up a new regional management body to promote communication between scientific institutes, fishermen, producers and processors within the Black Sea region. (LC/transl.rt)