At yesterdayโs Council meeting, a set of conclusions were adopted on the External dimension, marking the first formal step of agreement on aspects of CFP reform.
At a press conference last night, Mette Gjerskov, the Danish Fisheries Minister currently leading the Fisheries Council discussions, concluded that they had taken several important steps forward during the meeting. Foremost, she said, were the conclusions on the external dimension, which set out in no uncertain terms that when it comes to fishing, it does not matter if it is in EU waters or external waters, the same rules will apply. Commissioner Damanaki was visibly touched about this first agreement on reform issues, which confirms a commitment to applying the same rules to the entire EU fleet, takes the profitability of the sector into greater consideration and also respects human rights.
The Council conclusions on the external dimension are a definite move in the right direction, despite it clearly being a compromise paper encompassing the diverse views of countries with a clear stake in the southern agreements and mainly northern EU countries. Developmental NGOs are particularly concerned about the wording under section 7, which sets out a possibility for provisional rights to continue fishing activities once an agreement or protocol has expired.
Damanaki also expressed gratitude to the Danish Presidency for its approach to the discard ban debate, which had enabled the Council to move forward. The Presidency provided a discards non-paper as well as a background note to the Council outling the themes and providing questions to lead the discussions. This helped to move the debate forward and provide a framework for agreement. As the Danish minister put it:
โ The discussion was primarily focused not on if we should have a ban, but how to do it. This debate will have to continue in technical meetings, but we have moved forward.
Regarding the tightening of the ban on shark finning, the Council made clear that they support the Commission proposal and now negotiations with the European Parliament will ensue.