Brussels, 18/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - At an informal meeting in Brussels on Monday 18 February, EU fisheries ministers gave general backing to strengthening and updating fisheries control rules. A large number of states, however, opposed increasing the control powers of the European Commission and the Community Fisheries Control Agency (provisionally located in Brussels, but due to move to its permanent base in Vigo in July). Several countries noted that control was the responsibility of member states and were critical of the proposal to harmonise sanctions against fishermen caught breaking Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules.
The European Commission confirmed that, in October 2008, it intended to bring forward a package of proposals on various aspects of control (catches, landings, markets and imports). The aim would be to develop a “culture of compliance” with CFP rules.
At a press conference, the president of the Council, Slovenian Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Iztol Jarc said that all the ministers agreed on the need for reform of the CFP control policy. He spoke of the “vicious circle”: there being no effective control system, “we are trying to resolve the issue by reducing fishing quotas, with these efforts being cancelled out later by over-fishing on which we do not have sufficient control”.
European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said that, every year, €400 million of Community funds are given to member states for control (€20 million of this is for controls at sea), but with poor results: unreliable catch registration, no verification and cross-checking of data, and false catch declarations to the Commission. Weaknesses in fisheries control in the EU put the whole of the CFP into question, Borg said, adding that the current system is so inefficient that it “jeopardises our efforts to achieve sustainable exploitation and long-term management of stocks”.
Commission proposals on reform of control policy
At the meeting, Joe Borg presented an introductory paper to European fisheries ministers on the reform of the European fisheries control policy. The main points are:
Weaknesses noted. In its report of 28 November 2007, the Court of Auditors recommended that: - the systems for collecting, validating and monitoring catch data should be improved; - member states and the Commission should define the minimum characteristics of inspections and ensure that inspectors have access to all useful information; - control strategies be based on risk analysis; - inspections be supervised and recorded in centralised databases; - sanctions should have a deterrent effect and be harmonised (catalogue of sanctions for the most serious infringements; - the powers of Commission inspectors be strengthened and the mandate of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) be broadened; - more responsive sanctioning instruments, (such as the ability to suspend Community aid to fisheries if a member state fails to abide by its control obligations) be introduced.
New strategy. The Commission proposes, therefore, to introduce a new legislative framework to pursue the following eight objectives: - development of a new approach on inspection and control (standardised and coordinated inspection actions and procedures at sea and on land, new port and trade control measures, an inspection and control strategy targeted at high-risk activities, comprehensive traceability methods and processes, etc); - rationalisation of the rules (a single control regulation and clearer definition of the responsibilities of the Commission and member states); - strengthening the capacity of the Commission (measures to improve monitoring of the management of quotas and fishing possibilities in real time, facilitating spot checks by Commission inspectors, speeding up infringement procedures opened against countries and, finally, suspension of Community aid to countries which fail to observe the rules); - harmonisation of sanctions; - strengthening of cooperation and assistance (development of inspection and audit methodologies for sea and land inspections, support programme, CFCA training programmes; - development of a culture of control; - use of modern technology; - increased cost effectiveness; - adapting the Agency mandate (to cover the development of cooperation between member states and with the Commission).
Timetable. The Commission is likely to adopt a proposal for a regulation on strengthening control rules in October 2008. The Council of Minsters could then adopt these new rules in 2009, so that the new regulation could come into force in 2010. Weaknesses are such, however, that the Commission plans to act more quickly (from this year) in five areas: - standardisation and harmonisation of control and development of inspection methods (two working groups of experts from the member states have been set up, and will complete their work by the end of March 2008); - full implementation of the system of satellite monitoring of vessels (problems in applying arrangements in this area were noted by the Court of Auditors); - improvement of data bases; - implementation of cross-checking procedures; - sanctions (the Commission will carry out an assessment of sanctions imposed by member states).
Commissioner Borg noted that the current regulatory control framework is very fragmented. The control policy defined in regulation 2847 of 1993 is today scattered in several regulations. He said that national control systems were largely ineffective and that the Commission had only limited means at its disposal to put pressure on member states to “take their control obligations seriously”. (L.C.)