Luxembourg, 11/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 11 April in Luxembourg, EU Ministers for the Fisheries act knowledge the progress made on the text updating data collection rules on fishing and aquaculture.
The European Commissioner for Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said that "My feeling is that we are quite close to a first reading agreement, as there are no major issues of substance between the legislators". He did, however, note that "the inclusion of data collection on aquaculture in the EU Multi-annual programme is optional". According to the Commissioner, this would represent a step back for socio-economic data when compared to the current rules, potentially also resulting in less data on the aquaculture sector. He also criticised the fact that the Council had replaced or removed the delegated acts proposed by the Commission, which would mean "reducing the Commission's options to ensure a harmonised approach for data availability and data protection".
The Dutch Presidency indicated that this proposal sought to improve data quality and improve knowledge and better decision-making on fish stock management. Martijn van Dam said that they needed to conclude matters on this text as soon as possible and called for a swift agreement because the current regulation expired at the end of the year. The compromise text received unanimous support at Coreper and will serve as the basis for establishing a negotiating mandate with the EP (the EP Fisheries Committee is expected to vote on 19 April). Poland welcomed the compromise text achieved. Spain mentioned the harmonised data as a whole, particularly fish discards at sea and socio-economic development of the fisheries sector. The Spanish Minister, Isabel Garcia Tejerina emphasised that this information is essential for issuing solid scientific opinions and making good decisions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)