Brussels, 12/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU will have its work cut out for it in the second half to 2016, with the sensitive negotiations to be held on total admissible catches (TAC) and quotas for 2017, technical issues, the management of external fishing fleets and the stock management plans for a number of species.
Gabriela Matecna, Slovak agriculture minister, told the European Parliament's fisheries committee on Tuesday 12 July that the Common Fisheries Policy's prime objective was to ensure sustainable fish stocks and support the fisheries sector. She said they needed to take account of environmental and economic demands and respect the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Matecna said she was pleased with recent developments in the fight against unlawful, undeclared and unregulated fishing (IIIF) both within the EU and in the waters of third countries. She mentioned good management of fishing through multiannual plans, the one for the Baltic will be the first to be adopted under the new CFP rules.
The minister talked about the idea of maximum sustainable yields (MSY) to be respected for all stocks by 2021, regretting that a large number of stocks are fished without respecting the objectives of MSY. The following questions will be addressed under the Slovak Presidency:
TAC and quotas. In November, the Council will have to set TAC (total admissible catches) and quotas for 2017-2018 for deep sea species, and in December, TAC and quotas for 2017 for waters of Slovakia. The country does not have any fishing quotas because it doesn't have a coastline, but it has a fishfarming industry (trout and carp) and people fish in inland waters.
Data collection. Fisheries management in the EU is based on data collected, managed and supplied by the member states under the data collection rules. The Slovak Presidency hopes to get the institutions to agree on this question by the end of the year.
External fleet. Gabriela Matecna wants to launch three-way meetings with the EP on the question of external fleets. The fisheries ministers of the member states reached agreement in Luxembourg on 28 June on a general approach to the proposal on management of external fishing fleets (EUROPE 11574).
Technical measures. The minister work to try to reconcile viewpoints among the member states and between the Council and the European Parliament (EUROPE 11529). Rapporteur on this question, Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain), said that there wouldn't be any agreement on technical issues under the Slovak Presidency. Gabriela Matecna hopes to bring the Council to a common position on this question in the autumn.
Stock management plan for the North Sea. Over the summer, the Commission is expected to unveil a new multiannual stock management plan for a number of species in the North Sea. As soon as the proposal is ready, work can begin at the Council. The Slovak Presidency says the plan should help reach MSY.
Ulrike Rodust (S&D, Germany) raised the question of unlawful fishing in Thailand, saying that slavery and child labour must not be tolerated (EUROPE 11541). She also said that the aftermath of the United Kingdom leaving the EU needed to be examined.
Peter van Dalen (ECR, the Netherlands) raised problems in implementing the landing requirement rules arising from the end of rejecting fish at sea. He said that Brexit would have an impact on future debates on the management plan for a number of stocks in the North Sea.
António Marinho e Pinto (ALDE, Portugal) said that in the context of Brexit, the rights of fishermen from the UK and other EU countries needed to be respected. Gabriela Matecna said it was too early to discuss how Brexit would impact on fishing because one needed to wait to the UK to notify its request for withdrawal from the EU. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)