At the Fisheries Council on Tuesday 24 June, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands deplored the fact that several important fisheries policy issues remain unresolved between the EU and Norway - in particular Norway’s recognition not only of the EU’s status as a coastal state, but also of its historic quota for Atlanto-Scandian herring (see EUROPE 13277/9).
The lack of a sharing agreement between coastal states for pelagic stocks in the north-east Atlantic (mackerel, blue whiting, Atlanto-Scandian herring) is raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of these stocks. These countries are asking the Commission to consider imposing sanctions on Norway, which is not contributing to sustainable fishing.
According to the Netherlands, it is unacceptable that Norway should “help itself” to these stocks in defiance of past agreements. France has called for the conclusion of quota allocation agreements for the species concerned. “We will not hesitate to use all the tools at our disposal if it proves impossible to reach an agreement”, stated Costas Kadis, European Commissioner for Fisheries.
Note from Sweden: https://aeur.eu/f/hkv (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)