Brussels, 16/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - European fisheries ministers will hold a (public) debate on Monday 19 March on the three main regulation proposals of the common fisheries policy (CFP) reform package: - the proposal for a regulation on the CFP replacing the basic provisions of the CFP; - the proposal for a regulation on the common organisation (CMO) of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products, focusing on market policy issues; - and the proposal for a regulation on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) taking over for the period from 2014 to 2020 from the existing European Fisheries Fund (2007-2013).
The Danish Presidency of the Council of Ministers has set itself an ambitious target: reaching a general approach in Council on the reform of the CFP by the end of June, so that negotiations can begin thereafter with the European Parliament. The debate on Monday will take in the issue of discarding fish at sea, a practice the Commission wants to see ended as quickly as possible. The Presidency acknowledges that this is a highly controversial issue and that great flexibility will have to be shown if agreement is to be reached on ending discards. It is already known that France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain do not want a ban to take effect abruptly in 2016 and want the measure phased in. It is likely, too, that a number of countries, such as France, Belgium, Germany and Portugal, will, to a greater or lesser extent, be critical of the plan to bring in individual transferable quotas. Spain, France and Ireland are calling for flexibility in the deadline for managing stocks according to the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) principle. They are calling for MSY to be achieved by 2015, where possible, and at any rate by 2020. The Commission, backed by some member states, such as Sweden and Germany, has proposed a deadline of 2015.
Most member states are expected to welcome the market measures for fisheries products proposed by the Commission: empowerment of producers organisations and retention of a market management instrument (carryover with storage). Some countries, such as France and Spain, are likely to be concerned at the absence of measures to deal with serious disruption of the aquaculture products market. France and Italy might advocate environmental and social provisions in relation to imports from third countries in order to ensure a minimum level of fair competition with Community operators.
At the Council, ministers will also adopt conclusions on the external dimension of the CFP. The Irish and UK delegations will brief the Council on the consequences of the failure of negotiations with Iceland and the Faroe Islands on managing the mackerel stock in the North-East Atlantic (see EUROPE 10556). (LC/transl.rt)