Zdeněk Nekula, the Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, said, on Tuesday 12 July, that he aims to bring the EU Council and the European Parliament to a full agreement by the end of 2022 on the reform of the EU fisheries control system.
He presented the priorities of the rotating EU Council Presidency to the MEPs of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries. Mr Nekula promised a sustained pace in the negotiations (both at technical level and at the level of inter-institutional trilogues) on controls. He admitted that several difficult issues remain to be resolved, such as vessel monitoring, sanctions and recreational fishing. He said he was confident that common ground will be found on these outstanding issues.
He criticised the mackerel quotas for 2022 decided unilaterally by Norway and the Faroe Islands and said he hoped that, under the aegis of the European Commission, an agreement on sustainable management of the stocks would be reached between the coastal states. Members of the Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries held a debate on this issue on Tuesday afternoon and expressed their concerns. The Commission has confirmed that these two third countries have set their mackerel quotas without consulting the Commission (+55% compared to the expected figures). In 2021, such autonomous decisions had been taken by these two third countries. When all the agreed quotas are added, the level of fishing effort is 40% higher than that recommended by scientific advice.
Another issue is the proposal to extend the restrictions on access to EU waters by ten years. An EU Council mandate was agreed, with a view to negotiating with the Parliament once the latter has adopted its position in plenary. The Czech Presidency of the EU Council expects to reach an agreement on this dossier in October (see EUROPE 12939/4).
On the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Zdeněk Nekula only recalled that the Commission must adopt a report on the functioning of the CFP rules by the end of 2022.
Finally, the Czech Minister confirmed that the EU ‘Fisheries’ Council on 18 July will adopt conclusions on the development of aquaculture, a theme close to heart for this Presidency. Mr Nekula called for a European strategy for aquaculture that encompasses the environmental dimension and the economic and social aspects of the sector. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)