Despite opposition from the Netherlands, the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU received a mandate on Friday 8 February to negotiate with the European Parliament the proposal on technical fishing measures, including the controversial issue of electric trawl fishing.
The mandate obtained by the Romanian Presidency would propose a total ban on electric fishing in the EU from 1 January 2022.
Until then, the Council's official position was to maintain electric fishing on an 'experimental' basis, allowing 5% of derogations per Member State in the North Sea.
An interinstitutional trilogue negotiation session (Council, European Parliament, Commission) could take place on 12 or 13 February in Strasbourg to try to close the file.
For the Bloom association, which welcomes this step, the Council "took a very important step towards a total ban on electric fishing in Europe". "This means that European negotiations are approaching a conclusion, after months of deadlock since the European Parliament majority vote on 16 January 2018, in favour of a total and definitive ban on electric fishing in Europe", Bloom explains.
However, the association regrets that 1 January 2022 is "far too far away for artisanal fishermen who do not have the financial means to resist the economic disaster generated by the electric fishing in the North Sea".
The duration of this 'transition' period would be debated, in particular in the European Parliament, where several political groups would propose that the ban take effect as from 31 July 2019.
The Netherlands opposed what is in the Council's mandate on the end of electric fishing, as they are the main applicants and beneficiaries of this type of licence.
The Commission could also initiate infringement proceedings against the Netherlands for misuse of licences for electric fishing (see EUROPE 12187). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)