Brussels, 11/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU and the Faroe Isles have reached a political agreement to end their dispute over herring quotas, the European Commission announced on Wednesday 11 June.
“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing today that the EU and the Faroe Isles have agreed at political level to end their dispute over herring”, announced Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki.
The agreement provides for the Faroe Isles to end their overfishing of herring. In return, the EU will lift the commercial restrictions imposed on the archipelago in August 2013. The EU decided to ban imports of herring and mackerel caught by Faroese vessels, as well as all fisheries products containing or produced from such fish. The EU also restricted the use of European ports for Faroe Isles vessels catching herring and mackerel. The EU objected to the fact that the Faroe Isles awarded themselves a 229% increase in their herring quota for the north-east Atlantic in 2013, violating an agreement between the coastal states.
The political agreement also puts an end to the proceedings brought before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the Faroe Isles, when the country decided to challenge the EU's restrictive measures.
“After long and intensive negotiations, I am satisfied that we can soon consider the herring dispute is something of the past”, Damanaki said. She called on Faroese and EU fishermen to work “hand in hand” in order to guarantee sustainable fisheries in the north-east Atlantic.
In March, Norway, the European Union and the Faroe Isles reached an arrangement (without Iceland) on the allocation of their respective mackerel quotas for the next five years (see EUROPE 11066). (LC)