The Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council acknowledged, on Monday 22 June in Luxembourg, that the file on the proposal for a regulation establishing the conditions for the implementation of Union support for fisheries for the 2028-2034 period was not yet sufficiently mature for an agreement in the Council to be envisaged.
The Cyprus Presidency nevertheless devoted “considerable efforts” to seeking balanced solutions addressing Member States’ concerns, while preserving consistency with the overall architecture of the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the minister Maria Panayiotou stressed.
According to her, the compromise text currently on the table (note: https://aeur.eu/f/mh5 ) makes it possible to strengthen support for the common fisheries policy (CFP) as a core Union policy, to highlight the importance of financing aquaculture and to confirm the essential nature of continued support for fisheries control and data collection. The compromise also aims to clarify the application of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, specifically the rules relating to admissibility and to the recovery of aid, and to adjust certain intervention rules in order to facilitate generational renewal, including provisions on investments in fishing vessels.
During the debate among European fisheries ministers, delegations welcomed the progress made, but considered that the compromise text was not yet sufficiently developed to allow an agreement at this stage.
There is a broad consensus that the financial envelope planned for the common fisheries policy remains insufficient, despite the amount provided for having been doubled compared with the Commission’s initial proposal.
Several Member States, including Spain, argued for a level of financing at least equivalent to that of the current period (around €6 billion). The majority of delegations insisted on the need to explicitly allow the modernisation, renewal and decarbonisation of fleets, including through investments in fishing vessels. They considered that the “do no significant harm” principle is legitimate, but that it must not become an operational obstacle preventing the renewal of ageing fleets or the energy transition.
Member States broadly support the mandatory nature of financing for fisheries control and data collection. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)