Brussels, 03/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The main priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second half of this year are to continue the debate over reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP), negotiate a compromise over strengthening control of fisheries, and set fishing quotas and total allowable catches (TACs) for 2010.
On Thursday 2 July and Friday 3 July 2009, EU member states' top fisheries officials held an informal meeting in Ronneby to discuss the sustainability and profitability of the EU's CFP in the future. Robert Andrén, Sweden's top civil servant with responsibility for fisheries, briefed EUROPE on the “fruitful” discussion. He said a reflection document had been drawn up, which would be sent to the European Commission on the issues over which agreement had been reached, and on the issues which, on the other hand, still divide member states. European fisheries ministers are expected to discuss the CFP at their meeting on 19-20 November 2009.
“There is a more or less common understanding that we need a single common fisheries policy,” explained Robert Andrén. Top civil servants therefore do not agree with the European Commission's idea (set out in its Green Paper on reform of the CFP) that two separate systems be set up (one for small-scale family fishing and the other for industrial scale fishing). Andrén explained: “We agreed that we need to look into how we could support small scale fisheries throughout the EU,” but at national level, because small-scale fishing at sea differs so widely from one country to the next. Aid for small-scale fishing could be provided from EU fisheries funds (at present the European Fisheries Fund, which expires on 31 December 2013) and the EU Structural funds to support local communities for which small-scale sea fishing is extremely important. Andrén added that the civil servants did not agree with the idea of individual transferable quotas, at least not at EU level. Member states that so desire, however, may decide to manage fishing permits in this way (as do Denmark and the Netherlands at the moment). The areas where over-capacity exists in the fishing stock would need to be identified, and this could be done by the European Commission. Andrén said that everyone wanted to get rid of the practice of discarding the fish and crustaceans that fishermen do not want, but the idea at the moment is to gradually reduce discards “in a number of steps,” starting by introducing more selective fishing engines to reduce discards.
Sweden believes “drastic changes” are required in the current CFP, which is failing to meet its economic and environmental objectives. Andrén said: “We need to have healthy fish stocks in order to get profitable industry.” One important aspect in Sweden's view is the “long term management plans for more or less every stock, but we have to start with the ones that are more or less on the verge of extinction.” The management plans could “set targets” using all available data (fishing capacity and exact fish stock data).
Sweden is planning to reduce its pelagic fleet by 30% by 2010 or 2011 and its demersal fleet (fishing for cod) by 50% in the same time frame. Member states should assess needs and set capacity reduction targets, said Andrén, pointing out that not all member states had overcapacity in their fleets.
The Swedish Presidency hopes to get EU fishing ministers to reach agreement at the 19-20 October 2009 Fisheries Council on changes to the CFP control system: “We know it is difficult, we know there needs to be movement on many fronts from both the Commission and member states.”
Other areas of priority for the Swedish Presidency in fisheries include: - political agreement on 19-29 October on 2010 fishing quotas for the Baltic and Black Sea; - agreement in principle at the 19-20 October Fisheries Council on “a catch documentation scheme for bluefin tuna”; - agreement in principle in November on a “long-term plan for the Northern stock of hake”; - political agreement on 14-15 December on TACs and quotas for the Atlantic, English Channel and North Sea for 2010; - and political agreement in December on “establishing a multi-annual plan for the western stock of Atlantic horse mackerel”. (L.C./transl.fl)