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Maria Damanaki |
FAILURE to reform the Common Fisheries Policy could be catastrophic for fish stocks EU fisheries ministers were told at their Luxembourg summit.
Ministers had an exchange of views on the available policy options for the reform of the common fisheries policy following a presentation by Commissioner Maria Damanaki.
The meeting was told that the fishing industry was essential to supplying food to Europeans and plays a major role in the European economy but the sector was currently going through a deep crisis. European fish stocks have been overfished for decades and the fishing fleets remain too large for the resources available, making parts of these fleets economically unviable.
The outcome has been a continuous decrease in the amount of seafood fished from Europe’s waters: more than half of the fish consumed on the European market is now imported. The volatility of oil prices and the financial crisis have also contributed to the difficulties of the fishing sector.
The Commission's presentation to the Council underscored the necessity of an appropriate review of the CFP by explaining that in absence of a reform, the outlook for the future would be catastrophic for preservation of fish stocks and economic situation of fisheries affecting strongly the social situation of people living from this activity.
Following the Commission's presentation, three delegations, while mentioning the importance of a sustainable fishery, proposed a common declaration highlighting their attachment to the fundamentals of the CFP, in particular the management by national quotas and their opposition to the introduction of individual tradable rights (ITR) at EU level.
Other delegations identified a number of elements to be taken into account in subsequent discussions on the CFP reform in particular the devolution of decision-making to regional/national levels, differentiated approach for industrial and costal and small-scale fleets, discards reduction through development of more selective fishing gear, better adaptation of fleet capacity to fish stocks availability, responsible behaviour all along the fishery chain, improved efficiency of controls and the promotion of aquaculture development.
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