In addition to the management plan for fish stocks in the Western Waters, EU fisheries ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 16 April, will discuss the provisions on the obligation to land all catches (end of discarding of fish at sea).
In the “other business” section, Spain will present a draft statement signed by other EU countries on the problems encountered by fishermen in applying the common fisheries policy (CFP) rules on the landing obligation.
Western Waters stocks. Ministers will discuss the recent proposal that would put in place a multiannual plan for fish stocks in the Western Waters (see EUROPE 11989). In the expert-level discussions, delegations highlighted the need: - to take account of the different characteristics of the fisheries in the north and south zones covered by the plan; - to carry out a more in-depth investigation on the inclusion of a number of deep-water stocks and the resulting implications for the fisheries; - to give careful study to the socio-economic impact of the plan.
At the Coreper meeting on Wednesday 11 April, Portugal and Spain indicated that they would have preferred distinct plans for the north and south zones, rather than a single plan covering the whole area, as the zones each have their own separate specificities. Portugal and Spain felt that the proposal provided a good starting point. France also stressed the need for flexibility to take account of each zone’s particularities and fishing practices, and said that care must be taken to avoid complicating the fishing authorisation system. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)