EU-ministers visserij in debat over hervormingen Europees visserijbeleid (en)

European fisheries ministers i will be meeting in Vigo on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This informal meeting will be preceded by a fisheries sector conference in A Coruña, the conclusions of which will serve as a framework for the discussions.

Although the new CFP is not due to come into effect until 2013, the Spanish Presidency wants to start to focus the debate and come up with ideas for the first formal debate at the next Fisheries Council, to be held at the end of June in Luxembourg, so that the Belgian Presidency can get underway on 1 July with the groundwork already done.

The European Commission is scheduled to present its legislative proposal in 2011, which must be approved by the Council and the European Parliament before it can come into effect.

The CFP is one of the oldest EU policies along with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The first common fisheries measures were established in 1970 when it was agreed that all EU fishermen should have equal access to all the other member states' waters.

The current policy is a result of the 2002 reform, aimed at guaranteeing sustainable exploitation of live aquatic resources. To ensure that fishing pressure does not exceed the limits that fish stocks can sustain, it includes conservation measures, such as total allowable catches (TACS), and rules relating to fishing gear and minimum landing sizes.

It also includes methods to limit the environmental repercussions of fishing and to control fleet capacity. However, some problems still remain and medium-term solutions must be found.

In 2008, the Commission began a review of the CFP in order to analyse the successes and errors of the current policy and studying other fishing management systems, to establish possible guidelines for the future. In April 2009, it began a public consultation on the future of the CFP, with a Green Paper.

The conference that begins on Sunday in A Coruña must examine the different options stemming from the consultation and draw up strategic guidelines for the future.

Organised by the Spanish Presidency and the European Commission, it is expected to attract 200 participants, including representatives from European institutions, national administrations, the fisheries sector, scientific experts and non-governmental organisations.

During this six-month period, the Spanish Government intends to promote a means of managing fishing activities that will ensure economic, social and environmental viability and also monitor the exploitation of fisheries resources using criteria relating to sustainability and socio-economic and ecosystem objectives.

To ensure that fishing pressure does not exceed the limits that stocks can sustain, the current CFP includes conservation measures, such as total allowable catches (TACS), and rules on fishing gear and minimum landing sizes. It also includes methods to limit the environmental repercussions of fishing and to control fleet capacity.

The EU has agreements with third countries to develop sustainable and responsible fishing methods and to allow access to their fishing waters. The Common organisation of the market, another basic element of the CFP, aims at balancing market needs with the interests of EU fishermen, and guaranteeing that fair competition rules are followed.

To help put these objectives into practice, the CFP has a specific fund - the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) - with a budget for 2007-2013 of 3,800 million Euros.

There are also EU inspections to guarantee that all national authorities apply the same standards of quality and fairness. To reinforce controls, a Community Fisheries Control Agency was created during the 2002 reform, which began to function in 2007 and which will strengthen standardisation and effectiveness in enforcing rules by combining national and EU control and inspections methods and coordinating activities. In 2008, the Commission proposed a reform of the fisheries control system to promote a culture of compliance with rules and create a level playing field for European fishermen.