Brussels, 04/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The German Presidency has included 'sustainable fisheries' as one of its priorities for its six months at the helm of the EU on the grounds that the sea is one of human beings' most precious and yet most endangered natural resources. Germany wants the EU to make progress on simplifying the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), eradicating unauthorised, unreported and non-regulated fishing, and assessing the impact of climate change on marine resources. German farm minister Horst Seehofer will attend a meeting of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee on 25 January to brief MEPs on the German Presidency's programme for fisheries and maritime affairs.
In the first six months of this year, the EU's fisheries ministers are expected to adopt measures to restore depleted stocks of several species of fish, like sole and plaice in the North Sea (in line with the decisions at the end of December on fishing quotas and authorised days at sea for 2007, see EUROPE 9333); - cod in the Baltic; - and eels. The Council will begin discussing changes to the stock recovery plan in the North Sea and the English Channel. The German Presidency has great expectations for the debate on eco-labelling of fisheries products and improving monitoring of fishing in the Baltic. Only two of the six planned meetings of the Council in the first half of 2007 are expected to include important fisheries issues (April and June). The German Presidency's provisional six-monthly work programme on issues connected with the CFP:
16-17 April: - Political agreement on recovery of European eel stocks; - Political agreement on budget amendments to 2004 decision to establish Regional Advisory Councils (see EUROPE 9316); - Possible discussion of EU approach to eco-labelling of fisheries products (EUROPE 9262 on EP demands and 8979 on European Commission communication); - Discussion of simplification of CFP rules; - Possible political agreement on use of alien species in fish farms (EUROPE 9307 on EP's opinion).
11-12 June: - Political agreement on cod recovery plans for the Baltic; - Political agreement concerning definition of drift nets (EUROPE 9268); - Discussion of European Commission's general policy statement about fishing quotas for 2008; - Possible political agreement on plan to establish EU framework for collection and use of fisheries statistics and provision of scientific data for CFP; - Possible policy debate on plan to issue additional conditions for deductions from future fishing quotas for Member States exceeding their fishing quotas; - Discussion of discards; - Possible political agreement on plan to issue permits to fish outside EU waters.
During an address to representatives of the advisory committee on fishing and fish farming on 7 December 2007, EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said that fish farming, and clamping down on unauthorised fishing, would be his department's two main priorities for 2007 (see EUROPE 9325). (lc)