Brussels, 14/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Reform of common fisheries policy (CFP) will be compromised unless member states manage to ease their positions in order to find common ground with the European Parliament on this issue, the Irish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers warned on Tuesday 14 May (see EUROPE 10844).
The Fisheries Council, which began on Monday, continued on Tuesday evening to seek to make amendments to the Council mandate on the basic regulation for reform of CFP, including with regard to arrangements for the discard ban (disembarkation obligation) and the exploitation of fish stocks according to maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
Simon Coveney, the Irish minister, sounded a note of caution saying that, if they cannot agree, they will cease to try and reach an agreement under the Irish Presidency of the EU Council. The CFP reform process, he said, will then be truly compromised. He went on to explain that the issue was not one of the priorities of Lithuania, the country that will be taking over the rotating EU Presidency in July this year. Coveney stressed that, if no agreement is reached at the Council of Ministers today, it will be difficult to say when an agreement could be reached. Discussions may last until Wednesday. Coveney called for “sustainable” reform that is applicable and practical for the fishing industry. If an agreement is sealed today, Coveney explained, he intended to go to the Parliament tomorrow to seek to finalise a global agreement. He said, moreover, that he felt “pretty confident”. (LC/transl.jl)