Brussels, 17/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 17 September, the European Commission held a policy debate on the future of the common fisheries policy (CFP), which it feels has to be reviewed without delay (see also EUROPE 9709), to prepare the ground for a “major reform” of the CFP around 2010, two years before it is due to expire (2012). The Commission will now begin an analysis and consultation phase on how to proceed to improve the policy. European fisheries ministers will debate the state of health of the CFP and the policy options for the future in Brussels on 29 September. Then the Council, in December 2008, will call on the Commission to begin work on the reform of the fisheries policy. The Commission will issue a discussion document on the reform of the CFP in early 2009 for broad consultation of member states and stakeholders.
According to a press release, European Commissioners considered that “short-term decision-making coupled with irresponsible behaviour by certain parts of the industry continued to penalise those fishermen who act for the common good. The result is a vicious circle which has undermined both the ecological balance of our oceans and the economic profitability of the sector”.
This, then, is a real admission of failure of the CFP. The Commission proposes, therefore, that a “full review” of the CFP should be carried out immediately. European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg put a paper to his College colleagues in which he sets out a very mixed list of what the CFP has achieved since its reform in 2002. Among the achievements, he highlights: - greater credibility and transparency of the scientific basis of policy; - improved dialogue with stakeholders; - a significant number of stocks (cod, hake, langoustine, sole, plaice and others) brought under long-term management plans; - recent action to deter and eliminate illegal fishing and reduce discarding.
If the CFP is to achieve its objectives, the commissioner says that there remain obstacles that have to be tackled: - overcapacity: the fleet is capable of catching between two and three times the maximum sustainable yield (MSY); - fishermen must be made more responsible and accountable for the sustainable use of a public resource; - ecological sustainability has to come before economic and social sustainability; - regulation at EU level has to be simplified and regional management solutions encouraged, where possible; - the CFP will have to be aligned with the marine strategy framework directive, which requires member states to ensure that the seas under their jurisdiction are in good environmental condition; - Europe needs a joined-up approach to fisheries management, to include the industry's onshore and market dimensions alongside the catch sector and aquaculture, in line with the new EU Integrated Maritime Policy.
The common fisheries policy was formally established in 1983 and has since been re-assessed every 10 years. The most recent reform was approved in 2002. (L.C./transl.rt)