EU Considers New Fisheries Policy
On 17 January, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a report from its Fisheries Committee on the European Commission’s Green Paper on a new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Under the terms of the current CFP, the EU Council decided in a meeting last December on the total allowable catches (TACs) for this year. The EU’s TACs are revised annually. In related developments, several recently released reports criticise substantial incoherencies between EU fisheries policy and EU development policy.
When introducing the report on the new CFP, the rapporteur of the EP’s Fisheries Committee explained that reconciling various national interests and different points of view had been a difficult undertaking and that not everyone would be happy with the compromise adopted. It was the EP’s task to make recommendations on the CFP Green Paper which had been released by the European Commission in a public hearing on 5-7 June last year (see also BRIDGES Weekly, 12 June 2001; BRIDGES Weekly, 19 June 2001).
The Fisheries Committee principally found that it was necessary to strike a balance between the interests of the European fishermen involved and the need to conserve fish stocks. Furthermore, the Committee said that the new approach to be taken in the forthcoming CFP should be based on modernising fleets, ensuring safety, proper inspection, and aid for the industry.
Based on received comments and recommendations such as those made in the EP’s report, the European Commission is now preparing a draft proposal of a reformed CFP to be presented to the EP and Council in the next few weeks. The Council will decide on the new CFP before the end of 2002.
Allowable catches set for 2002
Still falling under the provisions of the current CFP [expiring end of this year], the EU Fisheries Council agreed in a 17-18 December meeting on the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the year 2002, whereby it did not follow all of the European Commission’s proposals and generally decided to set the TACs for 2002 at higher levels than those proposed by the Commission.
Though stating that the set levels would not lead to optimum results, EU Fisheries Commissioner Fischler said that he welcomed "the decision of the fisheries ministers to set the total allowable catches at a biologically acceptable level which would not lead to the deterioration of any fish stocks."
Reports scrutinise EU fisheries agreements
Three recent reports are putting into question bilateral fisheries agreements pursued by the EU. The European Union has called for tighter control over its own fishing stocks, while moving toward the fisheries of developing countries, much to the dismay of environmental groups such as the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) (see "Put environment at the heart of European fisheries policy"). However, environmental groups, including WWF, have welcomed the failure of the EU to obtain a new fisheries agreement with Senegal. According to WWF, this development is a "positive sign" that developing countries are becoming more prudent in weighing short-term economic gains against protecting their natural resources. A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released on 27 December 2001 cautions developing countries that the costs of allowing foreign fishing fleets into their waters outweigh the benefits of such action. Similarly, Eurostep recently released a paper entitled "Fishing for Coherence: Promoting Complementarity between EU Fisheries Arrangements and Development Policy," highlighting inconsistencies between EU fisheries policy and EU development policy. The WTO Ministerial Declaration adopted on 14 November 2001 in Doha launched negotiations on fisheries subsidies, while acknowledging the importance of this sector to developing countries.
On 12 February, UNEP’s Economics and Trade Unit (ETU) will organise a Fisheries Subsidies Reform Workshop aimed at building understanding and consensus on policy reform in that sector, including subsidy reform that will contribute to the sustainable development of fisheries.
"EU Parliament Calls for Tighter EU Control Over Fisheries," AFP, 17 January 2002; "NGOs Welcome EU Failure to Secure Fisheries Agreement With Senegal," IPS, January 2002; UNEP, 27 December 2001; Regular News Update from EUROSTEP, 18 January 2002. ICTSD Internal Files.