Top priority under the Greek Presidency is to secure an agreement between Parliament and Council on the final piece of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), multiannual plans (MAPs) for different fish stocks and the implementation of the discard ban.
Representatives of the Member States and the regional Advisory Councils discussed options for controlling the implementation of the new discard ban at a meeting organised by the European Fisheries Control Agency last week.
Late on Thursday, on what was scheduled to be the last day of trilogue discussions on the new fisheries fund, negotiations broke down and European Parliament representatives walked away from the table.
Yesterday, the EU fisheries ministers disappointed when agreeing on fishing possibilities for 2014 for EU waters and EU vessels in some international waters. Baltic Ministers also signed the BALTFISH Memorandum of Understanding.
At yesterday’s plenary vote at the European Parliament on deep-sea fishing in the North-East Atlantic, the Commission proposal to phase out deep-sea bottom trawling and bottom gill netting was narrowly defeated by 342 votes to 326.
In our briefing for the December Council, at which TACs and quotas will be set for the majority of EU fish stocks, we have called on Ministers to set fishing opportunities in line with the principle of MSY management.
The trilogue discussions between Council, European Parliament and the Commission on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund should have begun yesterday. This first meeting has, however, been cancelled.
In their final vote on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the European Parliament demonstrated again its ability to vote for responsible, science-based management. Their amendments to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the €6.5 billion subsidy package, aim to enhance stock recovery and end environmentally harmful subsidies.
FishBase held its annual Symposium in Stockholm yesterday focusing on invasive species. A number of invited researchers shared their expertise and knowledge of past, current and future invasive species in European waters and possible management actions.
Today, an agreement on Baltic quotas for 2014 was quickly reached, following regional negotiations between the Baltic Member States in the new BALTFISH structure. Commissioner Damanaki highlighted the agreement as a success “for Baltic fish stocks and for EU regionalisation”.