Europese Commissie, EP en Raad bijeen over meerjarige visserijbeleid (en)

On 3rd of October in Brussels the representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission met for the second time in the inter-institutional working group (Task Force) to discuss the multiannual management plans for fisheries. The Lithuanian Presidency i represents the EU Council at the working group.

Task Force was established by an initiative from the Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture prof. Vigilijus Jukna who, following the statement of the Council to the CFP reform political agreement sent an invitation in August to the Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries Gabriel Mato Adrover i and EU Commissioner responsible for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki i.

„I fully recognize that the only way to make any headway on the new multiannual plans is to have the co-operation and the full support of the three institutions", pointed out V. Jukna.

The Task Force was set up to find agreement on how to facilitate the development and introduction of the multiannual management plans for fisheries as set out in the new Common Fisheries Policy which comes into force on 1st of January 2014.

Multiannual plans will be one of the most important instruments - they will set the measures on how to restore the fish stocks to sustainable levels and maintain it, ensuring long-term sustainable fishing and bringing stability to the fishing sector

The EU institutions have been locked in disagreement on the structure of multiannual plans and according to the Lisbon Treaty the powers of authorities approving these plans ever since 2009. It hinders the adoption of new multiannual plans and the change of existing ones. It is expected that this Task Force will help to align the differing standpoints and find the way out of the impasse where the question of multiannual plans has been stuck for several years already.