On Monday 22 February, the European Fisheries Ministers supported the European Commission’s efforts to reach an agreement with the United Kingdom before the end of March on the 2021 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for species under shared management (see EUROPE 12662/5).
In mid-December, while the outcome of the negotiations between the EU and London on the post-Brexit trade agreement remained uncertain, the Fisheries Council decided to renew for 3 months the 2020 catch quotas for more than 75 stocks shared with the UK.
After an informal videoconference meeting of European ministers on Monday, Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius (Environment, Oceans and Fisheries) stated, “We have already had two rounds of negotiations with the British in recent weeks. I listened to the Ministers’ views on how to make progress in the coming weeks. We are confident that by the end of March we will be able to reach an agreement on definitive fisheries rights for 2021”.
The commercial and economic partnership agreement concluded at the end of December between the EU and the United Kingdom provides for EU fishermen to have access to British waters for a transitional period of 5.5 years, until 2026. During this transition, the EU will have to gradually give up 25% of the quotas, worth €650 million a year.
As the provisional quotas expire at the end of March, the Commissioner presented the state of the negotiations to the Ministers before discussing with them the guidelines for further talks.
“Together we have defined the key elements of a global negotiation package for the next round of negotiations, while respecting the provisions of the trade agreement (post-Brexit) and the principles of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)”, the Commissioner said.
The Fisheries Ministers “reiterated the importance of conducting these negotiations in close cooperation with the States” in order to “conclude them as quickly as possible”, stressed the Portuguese Minister for the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, whose country holds the six-monthly Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Several countries participated in this virtual meeting, including France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Poland and Sweden. They welcomed the good cooperation with the Commission in the talks on EU-UK fisheries quotas.
Some countries have reportedly asked for a detailed mandate (species by species) whereas the Commission prefers a broader mandate, in order to be able to negotiate with the United Kingdom.
The Fisheries Ministers also discussed: – the need to take account of the three pillars (social, economic and environmental) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP); – stocks with limiting quotas (‘choke species’) in mixed fisheries; – the search for an agreement with the United Kingdom on individual quota swaps; – the need for more legal clarity on the Brexit adjustment reserve.
The Commission reportedly explained that progress had been made on some issues in the negotiations, but that there was still no agreement on remedial measures. Negotiations with the United Kingdom could resume as early as Tuesday 23 February.
The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council will present a compromise text on the EU’s position in these negotiations with the United Kingdom on 3 March at the level of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper).
Norway. Some countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany) have asked the Commission to also reach an agreement with Norway on the 2021 TAC. The EU is reported to have issued fishing licences for cod and snow crab in the waters around Svalbard. The Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries reportedly stated that the decision violated Norway’s sovereignty and that any fishing in excess of the quotas granted by Norway would be considered illegal.
Mauritania. The Spanish delegation referred to the forthcoming 7th round of negotiations (25 and 26 February) on a new EU-Mauritania fisheries agreement. The Commission hopes to reach a compromise before the end of spring. Italy, France, Greece, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and the Netherlands wanted an agreement to be reached as soon as possible and fisheries opportunities to be maintained at the same level as today. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)