It is a race against time that has begun for the members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to identify, for the Ministerial (MC12) of June 2020, a compromise to reduce global fisheries subsidies (see EUROPE 12411/27).
On 6 and 7 February in Geneva, the European Union put forward a new proposal, co-sponsored by Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The text proposes to give developing countries more time to revoke some of their subsidies, according to a Geneva source. Differentiated deadlines of 2022, 2024 or 2026 could be foreseen according to the “specific, demonstrated needs of developing and LDC members using them”, the European representative said.
The EU also proposes stricter definition criteria for so-called “positive” subsidies, i.e. for health and safety, research and disaster recovery.
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries have also put forward a proposal that would give coastal States more authority to intervene with illegal fishers.
London promises sustainable stock management
In its first independent dialogue in these talks, the United Kingdom stated that its government had presented a Fishing bill to its Parliament on sustainable fisheries.
“We are committed to working with all our coastal neighbours, including the European Union and Norway, to manage shared stocks in sustainable and scientifically sound manner, working as sovereign equals and in partnership with our fishing industries and our wider stakeholder community”, said UK Ambassador to the WTO, Julian Braithwaite.
A comment that may reassure those who were concerned not to find, in this Fishing bill, any reference to EU rules on ending overfishing. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel, with Lionel Changeur)