A preliminary compilation of 382 responses to the CFP Green Paper will be presented by the Commission at the upcoming April Council meeting.
The ten-year Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is up for a renewal to take force in 2013, and the Commission opened the gates to the official decision-making process by publishing a Green Paper in April 2009. A first exchange of views took place at the following May Council meeting of the Fisheries Ministers, and a Council background note identified some of the key issues to be taken into account as:
- better adaptation of fleet capacity to fish stocks availability,
- discards reduction through development of more selective fishing gear,
- devolution of decision-making to regional/national levels,
- responsible behaviour all along the fishery chain,
- improved efficiency of controls,
- differentiated approach for industrial and costal / small-scale fleets,
- revision of funding rules, and
- promotion of aquaculture development.
Some member states also stressed “the importance of maintaining close consultations with stakeholders”, the Council added.
The Commission had asked EU members and stakeholders to submit responses to the green paper by the end of last year, putting further discussions in the Council on hold, the subject however informally discussed over a ministerial lunch in November and at a meeting of the EU Fisheries Directors that summer.
The Commission has now prepared a preliminary report summarising the 382 responses that had come in by the end of the consultation period, to be presented to the April 19 Council meeting and then up for discussion among the ministers.
It was not known whether that summary would be immediately made public.
As for the further handling of the issue, the Spanish Presidency has indicated that the CFP reform will be discussed when the Fisheries Directors meet in La Coruña, Spain, on May 2-3, at the following informal ministers meeting at neighbouring Vigo on May 4-5, and, formally, at the June 28-29 Council meeting.
Commissioner Maria Damanaki plans to publish legal proposals for the new CFP in early 2011.
The European Parliament, given co-decision power through the Lisbon Treaty which went into effect on January 1, will discuss the subject intermittently all through 2010.
Ahead of the upcoming Council meeting in Luxembourg, FISH and Seas At Risk recently sent a letter to the ministers and their close advisors, urging support for a “root and branch reform” based on:
- prioritising environmental objectives as a prerequisite to fulfilling social and economic objectives
- adopting a decision-making framework which ensures decisions are taken at the appropriate levels, differentiating between long-term strategic and operational management decisions, and in a transparent way, ensuring effective participation of stakeholders
- granting access to fishing resources – within and outside EU waters – based on environmental and social criteria, favouring less destructive fishing gear and practices, compliance with the law, low fuel consumption, decent working conditions and high quality products
- defining instruments and competencies which deliver sustainable fishing capacity at EU and regional level
- phasing out of public aid that sustains overcapacity.
A discussion paper from the OCEAN2012 coalition, where both FISH and Seas At Risk are founding members, was enclosed with the letter.