The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy has not yet been launched, but on Monday 24 March in Brussels a majority of European ministers called for changes to certain aspects of the policy, in particular the rules on support for fishing fleets.
The European Fisheries Ministers held a working lunch on the future of the CFP, organised by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 13605/1).
Luis Planas, the Spanish minister, advocated, in front of the press, for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) to be used to finance “public aid for the construction of new vessels”, in addition to support for the modernisation of fishing fleets. Spain and other countries (including Portugal) have called for a review of the rules on compulsory landings (the end of discards at sea), which professionals consider too complex to implement.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the French Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, also recommended a “reform” of the CFP, in particular to support the “modernisation and decarbonisation” of fishing boats and to support aquaculture.
Sari Essayah, the Finnish minister, called for sufficient funds to be earmarked for fleet renewal and to help the sector reduce CO2 emissions from ships.
José Manuel Fernandes, the Portuguese minister, considered it “urgent” to amend certain CFP rules, in particular with regard to the definition of fleet capacity (tonnage and power), “whose limits imposed on vessels are an obstacle to their modernisation and renewal”.
Portugal also advocated making the EMFAF rules more flexible, to enable support for the sector to be focused on energy efficiency goals and decarbonisation of the fleet.
Future of the CFP. During an ‘any other business’ at the EU Council, the Netherlands, supported by several countries (Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Romania), called on the Commission to review the current rules in order to allow aid for the modernisation of fishing fleets (https://aeur.eu/f/g21 ). We need safer and more efficient vessels and we need to support the fleets, including the construction of new ships, said the Dutch delegation.
Spain criticised EMFAF’s lack of flexibility, and in particular called for the concept of ‘fishing effort’ to be revised. France has deemed it necessary to simplify the rules (management of fishing capacity, tonnage, access to financing).
For Italy, a more flexible EMFAF is needed as well as funds to modernise vessels. A review of the CFP is needed and the EMFAF must be more flexible, said the Portuguese delegation. Belgium has advocated aid for the construction of new ships.
Progress needs to be made in implementing EMFAF funds, said the Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis: the ‘commitment rate’ was 24% and the expenditure rate was 6% at the end of 2024.
Controls. Armands Krauze, the Latvian minister, called for the rules on monitoring to be changed to ensure that fishers are not penalised. In fact, it is difficult for professionals to assess precise estimates of by-catches in the Baltic. Estonia and Lithuania have also called for the legislation in question to be simplified (implementation of the provisions of Article 14 of the Fisheries Control Regulation concerning the permitted margin of tolerance applied to unsorted landings of small pelagics).
Finland wants the criteria for serious infringements and the rules on margins of tolerance to be amended. Italy spoke of the challenges in the Mediterranean: the rules need to be simplified, including on controls. Spain noted that certain rules were inapplicable (tropical tuna). Portugal, Belgium, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, Cyprus and Malta supported the Baltic countries’ requests concerning the proportionality of sanctions.
France called for the rules to be simplified. “Eliminating the deduction of water and ice during weighing or installing cameras to monitor landings would not be realistic”, according to the French delegation. For the remote vessel monitoring system, “a transmission frequency of 30 minutes would not be feasible”, according to France. This issue is not limited to the Baltic Sea; there is a problem with this regulation, pointed out Denmark. Costas Kadis said that a solution could be found within the framework of the current regulation, rather than by amending it. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)