On Thursday 1 December, the European Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, told members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries that his services would present the expected report on the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in early 2023.
January 2023 is the new date announced for the adoption, by the European Commission, of the action plan for the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems.
This action plan is important in the context of the implementation of the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 for the CFP.
This action plan should provide the necessary tools to implement the objective of protecting 30% of the EU’s seas, including 10% of strictly protected areas.
The Commissioner also responded calmly to the sometimes sharp criticism from Spanish members of the Committee on Fisheries, regarding the implementing act closing 87 areas in the Atlantic to fishing in order to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems.
Regarding the CFP, according to Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Commission is preparing a “communication on the functioning of the CFP”, after several consultations. “We will review the implementation of the various CFP management tools and discuss the challenges” ahead, said the Commissioner, citing “climate change, and the post-Brexit management framework”. He also spoke about governance, including better consideration of stakeholders.
Energy transition. The Commissioner also discussed the future energy transition strategy for the fisheries sector. It is the rising cost of energy that is currently hitting the sector hard (see EUROPE 13067/4).
“Companies used to get by. The number one priority today is decarbonisation, in other words, ensuring that the fleet is not so dependent on fossil fuels”, Sinkevičius summarised. The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council plans to address the issue in the second half of 2023, according to the European Commission.
The Commissioner also defended the content of the proposals on nature restoration and on packaging and packaging waste (see EUROPE 13074/7).
Controls. Virginijus Sinkevičius said he hoped that the reform of fisheries controls would be completed under the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, which begins on 1 January 2023 (see EUROPE 13069/20). “Negotiations are difficult and moving too slowly” on the control regulation, he lamented.
He added that he was confident that the deal could be concluded “in the coming months”.
Deep water trawling. “I never shy away”, said the Commissioner in response to criticism of his alleged lack of flexibility and willingness to listen when it comes to the regulation closing 87 fishing areas (see EUROPE 13047/16).
He assured Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spanish) and Izaskun Bilbao (Renew Europe, Spanish) that the European Commission was waiting for the new scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), due in January 2023, before possibly updating the regulation.
He mentioned that five years have passed since the entry into force of the deep sea trawling regulation. “We are waiting for the evaluation. The ball is in ICES’s court. Some information is missing”, said the Commissioner. “The socio-economic aspect is particularly important to me”, said Sinkevičius.
Senegal. The Commissioner confirmed that, according to the rules of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMAF), “it is not possible” to assist the fisheries sector, which has been affected by a six-month ban on fishing in Senegalese waters. The Commissioner argued that this is not a case of force majeure (see EUROPE 13051/3). State aid is possible, however. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)