Brussels, 24/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The debate at the Fisheries Council on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy that took place in Brussels on Tuesday, appears to have borne fruit, given that Commissioner Franz Fischler declared at the end of discussions that he was prepared to make a gesture for boats that are less than 12 meters by granting them differentiated treatment (the details of which still need to be worked out). He also indicated that certain Member States would be ready to accept the progressive withdrawal of public aid up to 2006, a compromise that appears acceptable to the Commission (which had been suggesting much more radical measures). The President of the Council, the Danish Minister, Mariann Fischer Boel, declared that even if the negotiations were difficult, an agreement of reform was still foreseen during the November Council.
Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and to a lesser degree, Finland, welcomed the goals and objectives o the Commission in this reform, while the so-called "Friends of Fishing" group (Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece and Ireland) have criticised the measures for reducing fishing and preserving resources. The group also made concerted demands for continuing public aid for modernisation and overhauling the fishing fleets. The debate demonstrated that the majority of delegations supported the Commission's approach for strengthening inspection harmonisation and that the Council was almost alone in its opposition to the transfer of competence from itself to the Commission, particularly in resources management.
In connection with resources management, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and even Belgium have explained that the multi-annual plans proposed by the Commission are in fact reconstitution plans by another name. Hervé Gaymard stated that this involved the pure and simple generalisation for the reconstitution of fish stocks (hake and cod) as they currently recognised them. These countries wanted these "draconian" measures to only apply to stocks where their biological state warranted it (stocks well below the reasonable biological limits or threatened with extinction), adding that imposing different instruments for managing the same stock should be avoided and that TAC and fishing effort could not be applied simultaneously.
As far as structural aid is concerned ("fleet and structural policy"), the "Friends of Fishing" group believe that maintaining aid constituted a sine qua non conditions if an agreement were to be reached on CFP reform. France considers that Community co-funding for the destruction of the fleets must be significantly increased.
Sharp reaction from Ms Fischer Boel and Mr Fischler in tackling "Friends of Fishing" group
At the end of the meeting, French and Portuguese Ministers handed over two documents to their counterparts from the "Friends of Fishing" group. One of them contained the general conclusions on the future of the sector and the other amended the Commission's proposals. A letter was also signed and addressed to Commissioner Fischler announcing to him that these six countries had elaborated "common positions on the principles on which the Common Fisheries Policy should be based". In as "diplomatic way as possible", Ms Fischer Boel decalred that the fact that the contents of these documents had not been unveiled during the Council meeting was very curious (see EUROPE yesterday p 9). She also denounced the existence of "small closed circles", while Mr Fischler made clear his opposition to some Member States for attempting to construct a mini- European Union between them. "Negotiations must take place at the Council", he hammered home.
In their conclusions on CFP reform, the six countries forming the "Friends of Fishing" group asserted that reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, "ought to be a balanced synthesis between the necessary sustainable management of resources and the not less necessary awareness of the social, economic and territorial dimension of Community fishing activity".
These countries are refusing: further multi-annual management plans; erratic variations regarding the possibilities for fishing catches during the setting up of TAC and quotas; the getting rid of national and Community aid for modernisation and re-hauling the fishing fleets; the getting rid of public aid for sending Community boats to third countries and the setting up of joint stock companies.
The proposed amendments are linked to "conservation and sustainable use of fish stocks" and stress the social and economic dimensions in the sector while calling for a "multi-annual and multi-specific approach of resources management. Provisions that do not correspond to these principles are completely omitted in their text.