Better data for fisheries: EU agrees on new rules for collection and use
On 7 December 2016 the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) approved a final compromise on revised rules for the collection, management and use of data in fisheries.
Thanks to this agreement, there will be an improved framework for gathering extensive and reliable information and for making it available at regional and European level. Reliable data is essential for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and will allow for a better evaluation of essential issues in fisheries management.
The agreement, which was successfully concluded under the Slovak Presidency, is still subject to the approval of the European Parliament's committee on fisheries (PECH).
"Getting reliable data is not a technical detail, but a fundamental issue", said Gabriela Matečná, minister for agriculture and rural development of Slovakia and President of the Council, "Good data is indispensable if politicians are to make sound and well-informed decisions firmly grounded in the best possible scientific advice. We therefore very much welcome this agreement".
The agreed draft regulation aims to align the existing data collection framework with the new CFP and to simplify the current system.
The 2013 reform of the CFP introduced new data needs to assess, among others, the progressive achievement of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), the impact on fisheries and aquaculture, and the effects of the landing obligation.
The new rules will ensure that all these relevant data are collected following a cost/benefit approach and without duplication of effort, thus reducing the administrative burden.
Next steps
The Chairman of Coreper will send a letter to the Chairman of the European Parliament's PECH committee. This letter will indicate that, if the Parliament adopts at its plenary session the compromise text as approved by the Coreper, the Council will then adopt the text in first reading without amendment.
This should enable the new legislation to enter into force by mid 2017.
Background
A EU framework for the collection and management of fisheries data was established in 2000, and then reformed in 2008 resulting in the Data Collection Framework (DCF). The DCF established a harmonised set of EU rules governing the collection of biological, environmental, technical, and socio-economic data on the fishing, aquaculture and processing sectors.