Brussels, 17/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - European Fisheries Ministers met up on Monday at 16: 30 hrs for their end of year Council that traditionally sets TACs (Total Allowable Catches) for the following year and which is this year due to finish on Tuesday morning. The Belgian Presidency's first compromise text will be handed to Ministers at around 19: 45 hrs to be discussed over dinner. As EUROPE was going to press, the Fisheries Ministers were continuing their discussions on the controversial subject of extending the MAGP IV (Multiannual Guidance Programme) for another year (see EUROPE of 28 November, p.8). The Commission, supported by Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Austria, was still refusing to amend its proposal to extend the MAGPs while tightening public aid criteria; while the other delegations favoured the Presidency compromise that proposes keeping the same aid criteria for ships less than 12 metres long. Commissioner Franz Fischler presented the Council with two proposals; one to set up TACs for deep water species (sharks, black scabbardfish, ling, bream, etc) and another on long-term measures for rebuilding cod and hake stocks (see EUROPE of 12 December, pp. 11 and 12).
In terms of the negotiations over the TACs, Member States are expected to agree on the serious situation concerning dwindling stocks but challenge a number of the reductions in TACs proposed by the Commission. France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are querying the validity of the scientific data used by the Commission in deciding to drastically scale back TACs for various species (nephrops, cod, whiting and sole). The Member States' priorities (as revealed during the COREPER meeting last week) can be summarised as follows: - Belgium. Sole in the Irish Sea (extending the 2001 TAC of 1100 tonnes) and the North Sea sole TAC (16,000 tonnes, while the Commission proposes 14,300 tonnes) and plaice in the Channel (6690 tonnes compared with Commission's 6330 tonnes); - Denmark. Nephrop in the Skagerrak and Kattegat, plaice and cod in the Kattegat, Northern prawn and sandeel; - Germany. Herring and cod stocks; - Spain Hake in all regions, anchovies off the coast of Portugal, megrim in all relevant zones, monkfish in the Channel and off the South-East of Ireland and the Bay of Biscay (no change - 6,400 tonnes) and horse mackerel (the slashing of the TACs by 53% is felt to be too drastic and the Belgian, French and Dutch delegations agree); - France: nephrops in the Bay of Biscay and in southern Brittany (status quo requested at 4000 tonnes), sole in southern Brittany (5300 tonnes, as opposed to 2700 according to the Commission), sole in the Channel, whiting to the west of Ireland (for which France requests a substantial increase to 31,700 tonnes while the Commission tables on 20,000 tonnes), cod; - Greece: blue-fin tuna; - Ireland: cod, haddock, whiting, hake, monkfish; - Italy: blue-fin tuna; - Netherlands: sole in the North Sea (15,100 tones, compared to 14,300 in the proposal) and in the Irish Sea, plaice in the Irish Sea (status quo 2000 tonnes), Norway lobster in the North Sea (status quo), dab and place in the North Sea, turbot, brill, devilfish and rays in the North Sea; - Portugal: hake, anchovy off the Azores (renewal of TACs for 2001 at 10,000 tonnes, compared to 6,000 tonnes according to the Commission), monkfish and horse mackerel; - Sweden: herring (the delegation asked for special conditions to be brought back allowing the transfer of 8,000 tonnes between the management unit 3 and the rest of the other fishing areas in the Baltic Sea), Kattegat place, monkfish, hake, dab, grey plaice, turbot and brill; - United Kingdom: sole, Norway lobster, cod, haddock, place, monkfish and herring.