On Tuesday 5 June, the European Commission announced the launch of a public consultation in order to assess how well the fleet entry-exit scheme for EU fishing vessels is working.
The public and stakeholders (including fishermen, vessel owners, EU member state administrations, environmental NGOs) are invited to take part in the consultation, which focuses on the achievements and also the shortcomings of the scheme.
“The insights gained will provide valuable input to the review and possible improvement of the entry-exit scheme”, the Commission states. In accordance with Article 23(3) of Regulation 1380/2013, the Commission is required, by 30 December 2018 at the latest, to evaluate the entry-exit scheme in light of the evolving relationship between fleet capacity and prospected fishing opportunities, and, where appropriate, propose amendment to the scheme.
Under the entry-exit scheme, member states have to manage entries into and exits from their fleets in such a way that the entry into the fleet of new capacity without public aid is compensated by the prior withdrawal of capacity without public aid of at least the same amount. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)