Brussels, 29/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Presidents of Europêche, Alain Parres, and COGECA's fisheries department, Dirk Langstraat, headed delegations from the main EU fishing organisations in discussions in Brussels on Tuesday with the action President of the Council of Ministers, the Belgian minister Annemie Neyts, against the backdrop of the Fisheries Council. Various topical issues were discussed, like cutting fishing activity, restructuring the Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets (following the breakdown in negotiations over renewal of the EU/Morocco fisheries agreement) and plans to reconstitute cod and hake stocks. After the meeting, Ms Neyts said she had noted the organisations' points and pledged to discuss them with Commissioner Franz Fischler and the other fisheries ministers.
With regard to the extension of the Multiannual Guidance Programme (MAGP IV) and the changes to various structural measures, Mr Parres noted that both fishing organisations were concerned that the Commission was planning to continue for another year the efforts to cut the EU fishing fleet and tighten up FIFG measures. He explained that they were opposed to the general approach taken by the European Commission and also the fact that the current measures increasing MAGP targets for reasons connected with health and safety and product quality are no longer applicable, adding that he felt that the EU fleet needed to be managed. In terms of the long-term strategy for rebuilding cod and hake stocks, Mr Langstraat criticised the Commission's approach of taking the fish stock situation during an exceptionally abundant period (for North Sea cod, for instance) as its biological reference point (see EUROPE of 28 November, p.14). He explained that the fishing industry in several Member States had already undertaken such measures voluntarily and supported the idea of scrapping ships (accompanied by gradually phased out annual financial aid on top of the aid already scheduled under FIFG.
The fishing industry organisations believed that the implementation of the programme to convert Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets and retrain fishermen could have the unfortunate impact of transferring various EU fleets to other already highly fished zones.