At their informal meeting, on Tuesday 5 May in Nicosia, European fisheries ministers launched a process that should lead to changes to the 2013 rules of the common fisheries policy (CFP), following the presentation of the European Commission’s evaluation of this policy (see EUROPE 13861/10).
“We will return to this subject at the ‘Fisheries’ Council (on 22 June), where, on the basis of a more in-depth examination of the evaluation, we will seek to provide the necessary political guidance on how to move forward in order to shape a CFP that is more effective, more realistic and closer to the needs of the European fishing industry and our coastal communities”, said the Cypriot minister, Maria Panayiotou, the host of the meeting.
In the light of the evaluation carried out by the Commission, a number of recurring issues of major concern to the fisheries sector were reaffirmed by European ministers, such as “the need for simplification, reducing the administrative burden, better application of the rules, strengthening competitiveness and maintaining a balance between the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the CFP”, continued Maria Panayiotou.
At the same time, it was recognised by ministers that the evaluation confirms the importance of the CFP as a policy framework, while showing that certain fundamental implementation mechanisms have not fully produced the expected results. This focuses the debate on the effectiveness of the tools and rules in practice, added the minister.
It is also essential, according to Ms Panayiotou, to examine how the experts’ recommendations can help to “remedy the weaknesses and challenges” facing the sector today so that the CFP remains a modern, effective and resilient tool for the future. In this context, ministers stressed the need to move forward without delay towards a structured and clear process for “examining the conclusions and defining the next steps”, the Cypriot minister also said.
A mixed record, according to Costas Kadis. The main message of this evaluation is “unfortunately mixed”, the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, told the press.
Overfishing is declining and the proportion of stocks exploited at sustainable levels has risen from 50% in 2014 to 63% in 2022. “That said, we would have hoped for more: we have not achieved the objective of full recovery of fish stocks”, the Commissioner regretted. He recalled the “major challenges” facing the EU fisheries sector: “We have an ageing fleet, high energy costs and rising operating costs. Generational renewal is urgent, while small-scale fishing needs targeted support”.
These issues were highlighted both by the evaluation of the CFP and by ministers’ interventions: “Profitability remains below expectations and, combined with financing constraints, is holding back the fleet’s modernisation and competitiveness. There is also a need to simplify the regulatory framework and strengthen economic governance”, said the European Commissioner.
He added that the discussion would continue in a more structured manner at the Council of European Fisheries Ministers in June. “Consultations will also be held with industry representatives, non-governmental organisations and all stakeholders in order to take the right decisions for the future of the common fisheries policy”, concluded Mr Kadis.
Spain would like aid to renew its fleet. The Spanish minister, Luis Planas, called for increased European funding to renew the fishing fleet and build fishing vessels for the 21st century, he said on his arrival at the informal meeting, in Nicosia.
He disputed the Commission’s diagnosis of the shortcomings identified, arguing that they were due not only to problems in implementing the rules, but also to a different context from that of 10 years ago. “This Europe and this world are not the same as they were 10 years ago”, he added, referring to the CFP rules dating from 2013.
With this in mind, Mr Planas stressed the need to integrate fishing into food security and to strengthen the economic sustainability of the sector, as well as to meet the challenges of converting the fleet to make it “safer to work with” and to promote the integration of young people. He also stressed the need to simplify Community regulations and pointed out that the reform of the regulation on deep waters in the western Mediterranean was still pending.
Support for decarbonisation. Catherine Chabaud, the French Minister for the Sea and Fisheries, pointed out that France hopes that the Commission will approve the national fuel aid - of 20 cents for April and 35 cents for May - as soon as possible “so that fishermen can apply for reimbursement by 1 June at the latest”. She also felt that European rules on subsidies needed to be changed in order to decarbonise fleets. France is calling for at least two measures to support the sector: the introduction of a “decarbonisation gauge” (to transform ships) and financial support, in particular through the possibility of granting State aid to modernise the fleet.
The Finnish minister, Sari Essayah, stressed that it was important “to examine how we are going to manage the energy transition of the fishing fleet. These are the challenges we face”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)