The European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, wrote on 19 October to the Czech Presidency of the EU Council and the European Parliament to suggest compromises to finalise the reform of the fisheries control system.
The Commissioner is coming out of his reserve and showing some impatience with the negotiations on a controversial file.
After more than a year of interinstitutional debates, he says it is time to complete the reform. Therefore, in line with the mandate he received from the College of Commissioners, he presents in this letter “a set of key principles and compromise solutions, which I hope can guide us towards an agreement” on the proposal revising the control system.
The elements of compromise relate to the most conflicting issues (see EUROPE 13038/5).
With regard to the tracking of small vessels, the tracking of all vessels regardless of their size should be the rule. A derogation until 2030 could be granted to vessels of less than nine metres, but under conditions.
For the control of the disembarkation obligation, a mandatory system of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) is foreseen which includes the use of on-board cameras (CCTV). The REM is seen as a control tool and not a sanction. REM would not be mandatory for vessels under 15 metres.
Other issues raised were the control of the power of vessels (surveillance for vessels with a power of more than 120 KW), the margin of tolerance when weighing fishery products (flexibility for small pelagics, 20% tolerance for small quantities of catches), recreational fishing and illegal fishing.
The objective of the Czech Presidency is to bring the EU Council and the European Parliament to a compromise by the end of 2022 on the proposed recast of controls.
Link to the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/3rp (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)