Spanish agriculture, fisheries and food minister Luis Planas called on the European Commission on Monday 10 September to find "solutions" and "formulas" as soon as possible on the definitive entry into force on 1 January 2019 of the rules on the duty to unload all catches (ending the practice of rejects at sea).
"It is very important to find solutions to the benefit of a fleet such as Spain’s, which has a variety of fishing activities and variety of interests, so as to ensure that fishermen can continue to fish effectively", he told reporters in Brussels after a meeting with Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella.
The Spanish minister said the environmental sustainability and preservation of stocks should go hand-in-hand with economic and social sustainability of the Spanish fleet and fishermen. Full implementation of the rule forcing fishermen to unload all catches would cause practical problems for fishermen (storage, outlets…).
Planas wanted to ask Vella’s department to intensify its work to seek solutions, while arguing that in addition to the flexibility mechanisms foreseen by the Commission, it was important to settle the problem of stocks with limiting quotas (low quotas that lead to fishing being halted).
Brexit. Planas and Vella discussed the questions of fishing in the Brexit talks between the European Commission and the United Kingdom. Spain is very interested in the catches carried out in the UK’s fishing zones and has a substantial presence in ships flying the British flag, in which Spanish capital is invested, he explained.
The minister wants the Commission and London to reach an agreement that can lead to a period of stability during the transition period (until the end of 2020) before solutions are found. He said it was also necessary for the EU to establish a link during the talks between access of the EU fleet to British waters and, also, access of British companies to the EU's single market.
Finally, Luis Planas welcomed the "good results" obtained by the Commission on the new EU/Morocco fisheries agreement, which he said "fully respects" European Court of Justice rulings on access to Western Saharan waters (see EUROPE 12081). He hoped the EU Council of Ministers and then the European Parliament would rapidly adopt the agreement’s texts "as the interest of our fishing fleet are at stake". He is awaiting the go-ahead from MEPs, which he described as important for fishing and for overall relations between the EU and Morocco. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)