Speaking to the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, Commissioner Maria Damanaki presented details in next year’s CFP work programme, but also took the opportunity to come out in strong support of strengthening the EU ban on some shark fishing practices.
Asserting that she aims to present a Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform package to be adopted by the full Commission “towards the end of the first half of next year”, Ms. Damanaki specified in five points what she plans it to include:
- An overarching Commission Communication, explaining the content of the proposals, but also highlighting the Commission’s ideas for all those areas which will not be part of the proposed legal instruments.
- Communication on the reformed international dimension of the CFP covering international organisations, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and Fisheries Partnership Agreements.
- The proposal with the basic framework for the functioning of the CFP.
- A proposal to reform the market policy. The Commission will address sector organisation and the role of producer organisations, to improve the management of fisheries and aquaculture activities and the marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products. It will also revisit instruments to support stability of the market and information to consumers, through a labelling system.
- A proposal on a fund to support the new Integrated Maritime Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy and aquaculture.
As for the first point, she added that ideas about what can be done to “improve the quality of scientific advice” would be included in the communication, and on the proposed fund to support the IMP, the CFP and aquaculture, she said it would integrate all the financial instruments that “we need”.
“I can already tell you that I won’t be proposing more of the same. The new fund will be there to help deliver the policy we want”, Commissioner Damanaki declared, according to the prepared speech.
On another note, she took the opportunity to “congratulate” MEPs on the “excellent initiative” recently to press for stricter rules for shark fishing, which, she said, “I fully support”.
That initiative particularly mentioned strengthening the EU ban on shark “finning”, the practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea. According to environment groups, the current EU finning ban is among the weakest in the world with loopholes that seriously hamper enforcement.
“This is why I am about to launch a public consultation within a few days from now on what we can do to finally close the loophole in our legislation and strengthen this ban”, Damanaki said.
“This consultation will take six weeks and we will then look at all the contributions sent to us from stakeholders, NGOs and citizens. I intend to come forward with a proposal to better protect sharks in July 2011 and in the meantime I will push for introducing quotas for a number of shark species fished in international waters”.
As for sharks in EU waters, the Commission recently presented its proposal for the 2011 deep-sea catch quotas, to be decided at the December Council meeting. That proposal was met with sharp criticism from environmentalists for not going far enough.