On 14 July 2006, the European Commission published their 5th annual report on serious infringements to the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Difficult to compare Member States In similar tone and conclusion to the previous reports, the Commission highlight the difficulty in using the information that Member States provide to draw clear conclusions … Continued
“…it is time to manage European fisheries in a different way, looking for success rather than to seek merely to avoid failure”, these words are used in the introduction of the European Commission’s Communication on, “Implementing sustainability in EU fisheries through maximum sustainable yield”, published on the 5th July 2006. Maximum Sustainable Yield The Communication … Continued
On Monday 19 June, EU Fisheries Ministers finally agreed on the new European Fisheries Fund (EFF) at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. EUR 3.8 billion will be set aside to provide support for the fisheries sector. The EEF, due to cover 2007-2013, will replace the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) which will close at … Continued
On the 9th June 2006 the ICES’ Advisory Committee on Fishery Management (ACFM) published their advice to the European Commission on the two Baltic Sea cod stocks for 2007. The following provides a summary and comment on their assessments and advice. Baltic Sea cod in subdivisions 22-24 (Western Baltic) The quantity of mature cod (also … Continued
On June 7th the Commission published a Green Paper named “Towards a future Maritime Policy for the Union: A European vision for the oceans and seas”. The aim is to boost economic growth in maritime sectors in accordance with the Lisbon Strategy while protecting the marine environment. Environmental groups are skeptical, saying the focus is … Continued
The highly debated European Fisheries Fund (EFF) was on the agenda again at the 22 May European Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. However, the 25 Member States were unable to agree on how to spend the €3.8 Billion. The major sticking point was whether or not to make EFF eligible for vessel modernisation. The issue … Continued
The European fisheries ministers concluded a fisheries partnership agreement at the Council meeting May 22nd. The agreement provides for the EU to pay Morocco €144.4 million under four years in return for giving 119 European vessels (100 Spanish, 14 Portuguese, 4 French and 1 Italian) opportunities to fish in Morocco’s Atlantic coastal waters, including the … Continued
Joint comment by Greenpeace , BirdLife International, the European Environment Bureau, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Fisheries Secretariat, Seas At Risk and WWF on the European Parliament Plenary Vote on the Marine Strategy Directive: The European Parliament today called for a determined Europe-wide effort to combat the impacts of destructive and unsustainable fishing, … Continued
Environmental Ministers take first steps to make the Baltic Sea a pilot area for implementation of the EU Marine strategy. On 23 November, Environmental Ministers from all affected states met to discuss ways to deal with the environmental crisis in the Baltic Sea. “We have had a successful meeting where the Ministers around the Baltic … Continued
Conference in Brussels to discuss the developing European Maritime Policy leaves little doubt that maritime stakeholders are not always treated equally. The Mare Forum, the Dutch Maritime Network, and the European Network of Maritime Clusters, with support from the European Commission held a conference in Brussels on 17 November entitled ‘The New European Maritime Policy … Continued