The European Commission decided on Wednesday 6 April to send a reasoned opinion to Belgium on the grounds that the country is not complying with certain provisions of Regulation 1224/2009 on fisheries controls.
Belgium is accused of not having put in place the required control measures regarding the weighing, transport and traceability of fisheries products and the registration of catches.
A verification mission carried out by the Commission in Belgium revealed a number of serious shortcomings on the basis of which the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Belgium on 30 October 2020 (see EUROPE 12594/14).
However, the Commission considers that Belgium has not yet satisfactorily addressed all the deficiencies identified and that it does not ensure adequate control of the activities of its fishing fleet, which may lead to overfishing and non-compliance with quotas. Belgium now has 2 months to take the necessary measures. If it does not, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The Commission also sent a reasoned opinion to the Netherlands in February for failure to comply with EU rules on the weighing, traceability and recording of catches of fisheries products (see EUROPE 12887/22). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)