Brussels, 16/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU fisheries ministers, when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday 20 April, will seek to reach agreement on a general approach (a form of political agreement), much desired by the Latvian Presidency, on a proposal for a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea.
This management plan aims to ensure that the Baltic cod, herring and sprat stocks are exploited sustainably so that maximum sustainable yield (MSY) can be achieved in 2015 or by 2020 at the latest. For this, fishing mortality rates to be respected will be set. The European Parliament's fisheries committee reached agreement on this plan on Tuesday 31 March (see EUROPE 11286).
Most of the countries affected (Denmark, Germany, the Baltic States, Poland, Finland and Sweden) would like agreement to be reached on Monday. However, France and Spain in particular do not want a general approach at this stage, firm in the belief that the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU on the North Sea cod plan should be awaited in order to have a clearer idea of the relative powers of the Parliament and the Council in management plans (a dispute between the two over who has the right to do what with regard to management plans has yet to be settled). The Baltic cod plan will serve as a test for a new generation of multiannual management plans. (Lionel Changeur)