Brussels, 30/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 30 May at 3.30pm, after two days of discussion, the three EU institutions reached a final compromise on reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP), which is to take effect on 1 January 2014. Parliament and Council have finally agreed on maximum sustainable yield (MSY), quota management and the principle of banning discards.
Several concessions were granted to the EP on data collection, protection zones for juvenile fish, and fishing outside EU waters. For the remainder, however, the revised Council mandate (of 15 May) has remained the same. The regulation reforming the CFP is nonetheless expected to be formally adopted by the Council (a discussion on the subject at Coreper is scheduled on Friday 31 May) and by the European Parliament.
CFP reform is not completely settled given that the institutions have still to come to an agreement on the future European fund for fisheries and maritime affairs (2014-2020).
Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki spoke of a “historical step for all those involved in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors”. She said: “We are going to change radically the way we fish in the future”, and made four comments: - 1) “We are paving the way for a sustainable future for our fishermen and our industry. We are going to do that by bringing fish stocks above sustainable levels, by aligning our fishing opportunities with scientific advice, by stopping discarding and by stopping all other wasteful practices”. - 2) “Also, we are going to apply the same principles when we are fishing abroad. We will fully respect international law and our commitments”. - 3) “We are going to stop having all the decision-making taking place in Brussels. Micromanagement will not be the way we operate anymore. We are going for regionalisation, to work together with the regional authorities and stakeholders to find specific and tailor-made solutions for each problem”. - 4) “We are going to change our market policy by providing better information for the consumers so our fishermen can get for the fish the price it deserves”. Damanaki went on to conclude by saying: “The CFP reform is a powerful driver for growth and jobs, at a time when Europe needs it most”.
The European Parliament rapporteur on the basic CFP regulation, Ulrike Rodust (S&D, Germany), said she was very pleased despite the fatigue accumulated during the long talks. “The agreement allows a complete overhaul of CFP. We have found political unity”, she said. Discards will be reduced to zero though, exceptionally, a de minnimis percentage of 5% discards may be allowed for, but it will be necessary for member states to request that exception from the Commission, said Rodust in essence. It is a compromise as the EP did not initially wish to have any exemptions, she said.
Simon Coveney, Ireland's minister for agriculture, explained that it had taken two years of debates to sketch out a new model for the next ten years. He spoke of a radical and practical reform that will allow the next generation of fishermen to have stocks that they can fish and to live better than they do at present. He took the view that the environmental NGOs can be “very pleased” with the result. For the most part, the NGOs have indeed expressed their satisfaction.
The EP mainly welcomes the fact that, in the breakdown of fishing possibilities, member states should now take into account environmental and social criteria, such as the impact that fishing has on the environment and the previous history of shipowners when it comes to respecting the rules and contributing to the local economy. This can have an influence on preferential access to small-scale artisanal fishing.
Regarding multiannual management plans, namely the quarrel between EP and Council over the legal base, Coveney said a compromise will be sought through diplomatic means, failing which the EU Court of Justice will have to decide. The text of the reform on multiannual plans is, legally, the most neutral, due to this spat. The EP has introduced court action against Council decisions on the recovery plan for cod stocks. Rodust has said that the EP is losing patience, adding that, if no solution is found, then the matter will be referred to the Court of Justice. Due to this problem, the EU cannot adopt these multiannual stock management plans although they are one of the cornerstones of the CFP.
For the remainder, the main elements of reform announced mid-May have been confirmed.
End of discards. All catches that are the subject to catch limits (quotas) and, in the Mediterranean, also catches subject to minimum landing size, are to be brought in and kept on board fishing vessels, then registered, disembarked and placed on quotas where necessary, except when they are used as live bait, according to the following schedule: - from 1 January 2015 (and at the latest in January 2017) for pelagic catches (mackerel, herring, blue whiting, anchovy, sardine, sprat, blue fin tuna, swordfish, bigeye tuna, capelin, small sandeel and Norway pout, and salmon in the Baltic Sea); - from 1 January 2016 (and 1 January 2019 at the latest) for species in the North Sea, western northern waters and western southern waters (cod, haddock, whiting, pollack, langoustine, sole and plaice, hake and northern prawn).
Maximum sustainable yield (MSY). In order to achieve the goal of gradually restoring and maintaining fish stocks at biomass levels and allow MSY to be achieved, the agreement provides for a rate of exploitation that will allow MSY to be attained by 2015 if possible and, for all stocks, gradually and in stages, by 2020 at the latest.
Protection zones. According to the text, the EU should strengthen protection of biologically sensitive zones, when there is obviously a high concentration of fish whose size is below the minimum reference size for conservation, as in spawning areas. To this end, the member states “may” list the corresponding zones and, where necessary, develop common recommendations. (LC/transl.jl)