The European fisheries ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 December to reach a political agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2025 in the waters of the Atlantic, Channel and North Sea.
It will be particularly important for them to try to reach a compromise on catch limits in Mediterranean waters, given that Spain, France and Italy, supported by several EU countries saying they stand in “solidarity”, are opposed to the measures proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13526/8).
The Commission told MEPs on Thursday 5 December that it was proposing to reduce the fishing effort in the Mediterranean by 66% (on average) for trawlers in the area covering French and Spanish waters and by 38% in the area covering Italian and Corsican waters (see EUROPE 13534/5).
These restrictions are due to the full implementation of the multiannual management plan for fish stocks in the western Mediterranean, with the aim of reaching the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2025. The Commission is proposing a compensation mechanism enabling vessels to obtain additional days at sea in exchange for accepting technical measures (gear selectivity, closure periods).
With regard to stocks in the Atlantic, Channel and North Sea, the most problematic proposals include: - cod in the Kattegat; - Norway lobster in the Bay of Biscay; - Norway lobster in Iberian waters; - pollack stocks in the Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Iberian waters; - common sole in the Skagerrak and the Kattegat; - sole in the Bay of Biscay; - horse mackerel in Iberian waters; - red seabream in Atlantic Iberian waters and the same species in Azores waters; - anchovy in the Gulf of Cadiz.
Many of the annexes concerning shared stocks are still incomplete for the moment, but an agreement has already been reached as part of the EU-Norway-UK consultations (https://aeur.eu/f/enu ).
Bilateral negotiations between the EU and Norway and between the EU and the UK are currently underway, with the aim of concluding them after the Fisheries Council at the latest.
Heated debate at the European Parliament. During a debate on the subject on Thursday 5 December in the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries, many MEPs called on the Commission to show flexibility and humanity with regard to the proposal to drastically reduce the number of days at sea in the Mediterranean by 2025.
Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spanish) opposed the Commission’s proposal to reduce fishing days in the Mediterranean for some of the country’s fishers by 79% (to just 27 days a year). He pointed out that fishers had already made efforts by reducing their activity by 40% in four years. Nicolás González Casares (S&D, Spanish) felt that the proposal should be withdrawn, otherwise it would be a death sentence for fishers. France Jamet (Patriots for Europe, French) and Stephen Nikola Bartulica (ECR, Croatian) denounced the unfair competition from certain third countries, such as Turkey. Isabelle Le Callennec (EPP, French) pointed out that 44 vessels in France are affected by these reductions, and said that the scientific assessments were very weak. Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe, Swedish) believes that the sector should be supported and those who can no longer make a living from their work should be compensated.
In general, MEPs hoped that the new Commission would change its approach with the arrival of Kóstas Kadís, the new Commissioner for Fisheries. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)