On Wednesday 2 June, the EU and the UK reached an agreement in principle on catch limits for jointly managed fish stocks for 2021.
This agreement sets the final Total Allowable Catch (TAC) volumes for 2021. Indeed, the quotas had been set provisionally until March 2021, and then until July 2021, while a compromise on the TACs for the rest of the year was found (see EUROPE 12728/7).
The agreement was finalised in a telephone call on Wednesday between the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, and the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, George Eustice.
The agreement is in line with the provisions of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The positive outcome of the negotiations, which started in January, “creates a strong basis for continued EU-UK cooperation in the area of fisheries”, the Commission welcomes.
The agreement guarantees fishing rights for the EU and UK fleets in EU and UK waters until the end of 2021. TACs are foreseen for 75 shared fish stocks for 2021 as well as for some deep sea stocks (2021-2022). It also clarifies the access limits for non-quota species. The signing of the agreement, expected in the next few days, will also allow the two parties to exchange quotas.
The agreement is based on the best scientific advice on the state of fish stocks and takes into account, among other things, the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) principle and the precautionary approach, which is at the heart of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
The Commission will propose to the EU Council to incorporate the agreement into EU legislation. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)