Brussels, 03/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament fisheries committee will vote in Strasbourg on 23 March on the own initiative report by Elspeth Attwooll (ALDE, UK) on governance in the common fisheries policy (CFP). The EP plenary session vote will be in April. Debate is centred largely on the development of Regional Advisory Committees (RACs). Attwooll is pushing hard, suggesting “radical decentralisation”, so that management responsibilities are gradually transferred to the RACs. Carmen Fraga Estévez (EPP-ED, Spain) felt that this issue should not be raised in an own initiative report, but rather in the debate which is beginning on the reform of the CFP. The draft report even calls for members of the fisheries committee to have observer status at European Fisheries Ministers Council meetings. An amendment by Fraga Estévez seeks to remove this paragraph. (L.C./transl.rt)