On Wednesday 16 June, the European Commission told a meeting of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee that the EU/UK Committee on Fisheries would soon be established.
This specialised committee on fisheries is provided for in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed between the EU and the UK. It will address some of the outstanding issues, including quota exchanges and some technical measures.
Charlina Vitcheva, Director General of DG MARE, gave an update on the EU/UK fisheries consultations, which resulted in an agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 75 jointly managed species.
The Council of Ministers of the EU approved the agreement on TACs and quotas for 2021 on 11 June (see EUROPE 12739/4).
Ms Vitcheva considered that the results of this agreement were positive, both for the resource and for the fishermen. “We managed to maintain the very high standards of sustainability and take into account the interests of both parties”, she summarised.
However, she announced that the EU and the UK would continue to negotiate issues in the specialised committee that is being set up.
Among the subjects to be examined in these proceedings, she mentioned the new conditions for licences, which was a hot topic last May (new requirements requested by the British side), marine protected areas, and the ban on bottom trawling.
Access and licences. MEPs and representatives of fishermen criticised the UK’s access and licensing requirements. Vitcheva said that the Commission welcomed the progress made in providing access to UK waters “for the majority of the fishing fleet” of the EU.
She acknowledged the problems with access to Jersey’s waters, and hoped that the dedicated committee would address the issue. “It is important that, within the framework of this committee, we find a methodology that avoids any unpleasant surprises”, concluded the Director General.
Jean-Luc Hall, Director General of the National Fisheries Committee (CNPMEM), said that 225 temporary authorisations had been granted for Jersey. Forty-seven are final, while 166 applications are still pending. He regretted the new technical measures requested on the UK side “without respecting the framework of the agreement”, as well as the “intimidating checks” carried out on ships by the UK authorities.
The Commission said that consultations between the EU and the UK on fishing opportunities for 2022 would begin in the autumn and that these negotiations are “not expected to take as long as those on 2021 quotas”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)