At an informal EU Fisheries Council Meeting in Brussels on September 29, Commissioner Joe Borg and member state ministers agreed to “kick-start” immediate preparations for the proposed reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), due for completion in 2012, the Commission announced.
The meeting preceded the formal assembly for the agriculture and fisheries ministers concluded on the day after, when its Council Conclusions stressed that “healthy ecosystems are essential for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources”.
As an A item the Council also adopted the proposed regulation aimed at establishing a community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
A subject for discussions was also measures to be taken to restore cod stocks, which the French Presidency of the Council wishes to see adopted before the end of the year, hopefully on the Council Meeting on Nov. 17-18.
The French Presidency further announced that the Council authorised the Commission to proceed with the payment of funds set aside in the EU-Mauritania fishing agreement, “provided that all the requisite conditions have been met”.
Following the coup d’état in Mauritania on 6 August, the Commission decided to delay the first payment under the new protocol, which was originally due on 31 August. The postponement was decided in order to check that all the conditions for the implementation of the protocol with respect to the principle of sound financial management remained in place.
The Commission now reported that sufficient guarantees had been given to enable a payment of EUR 86 million. That contribution represents 80 % of Mauritania’s total fisheries revenue.