The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU concluded, during the first hours of Tuesday 5 February, a provisional agreement with representatives of the European Parliament on the content of the multiannual management plan for demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean (see EUROPE 12178, 12174).
This compromise was reached between the three EU institutions less than a year after the publication of the Commission's proposal. However, it will have to be formally confirmed by the European Council and Parliament.
The management plan incorporates the Parliament compromise that provides for a ban on the use of trawls below the 100-metre (m) isobath between 1 July and 30 September each year to protect juveniles and sensitive habitats.
The NGO Oceana considers the political agreement reached to be "mediocre", and that it "will not stop overfishing" in the Mediterranean. According to this NGO, deep-sea trawling should have been banned all year round.
The other provisions are as follows: - a system for limiting fishing effort for the main fish stocks, taking into account fishing mortality and respecting the principle of maximum sustainable yield (MSY); - exploitation of stocks in such a way as to achieve MSY by 2020 and, if this is not possible, progressive achievement of MSY; - technical conservation measures applied to commercial and recreational fisheries in accordance with the principle of regionalisation, in order to provide flexibility in the management of by-catches in mixed fisheries; - each year, on the basis of scientific advice, the Council will decide on the maximum number of fishing days for each fleet category and Member State; - regional cooperation is planned between France, Italy and Spain with a view to submitting joint recommendations on certain measures to be taken by the Commission on issues such as landing requirements and technical measures.
"This is the first EU-wide management plan for this basin. It has the merit of being ambitious and balanced", commented Petre Daea, Romania's Minister of Agriculture.
The Western Mediterranean represents only about 31% of total landings in the Mediterranean, but demersal fisheries have a high commercial value. 80% of the assessed stocks are currently overexploited in the area.
Catches of these demersal species in the Mediterranean have declined by about 23% since the early 2000s. At this rate, "more than 90% of the stocks assessed would be overexploited by 2025", says the European Commission.
Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella considered that the agreement reached "constitutes a decisive step forward in the implementation of the EU's commitment to the recovery of fish stocks in the Mediterranean". According to him, this is a "win-win situation for our fishermen and oceans".
If this agreement is confirmed on Friday 8 February by EU ambassadors, the regulation on this management plan will be submitted to the Parliament for approval and then referred to the Council for final adoption.
The new rules will apply on the twentieth day after their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (end 2019). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)