At the meeting of fisheries ministers in Luxembourg on Monday 16 April, seven member states will call on the European Commission to come up with solutions to the problem being faced by small fishermen in applying the rules on the obligation to land catches (see EUROPE 11999).
The issue will be discussed at the request of Spain and will be dealt with as an other business item. Spain will submit a statement that has been signed by Portugal, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus. Further countries, including France, could support this statement on principle.
The seven countries are of the view that the 2013 regulation on the common fisheries policy (CFP) could be interpreted in such a way as to allow derogations for small-scale and coastal fishing on the requirement, as of 1 January 2019 at the latest, to land all fish catches (see EUROPE 11312). This rule derives from the decision to phase out the practice of discarding certain species at sea.
The text of the statement says that the provision on the landing requirement (Article 15) of the basic regulation on the CFP can be interpreted in different ways and is causing problems for small vessels. In particular, some ports are not equipped to dispose of the fish that would previously been discarded. The Commission will be asked to find solutions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)