Agricultural and Fisheries Council discusses fishing quotas and reform of the CAP

The European Union Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries will be meeting in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, in a session dominated by discussion of fishing opportunities for 2021 and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The meetings will be chaired by the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, and the Portuguese Minister of Maritime Affairs, Ricardo Serrão Santos i, under the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU.

In the fisheries area, discussions will be focused on the approval of the definitive fishing quotas for the European fleet in Norwegian waters, as a result of an agreement recently reached with Norway.

At the same time, the quotas set for Svalbard cod under the scope of the Regional Fisheries Organisations will also be adjusted in light of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom, which was approved after the Council of Fisheries Ministers in December 2020.

And, as the final agreement with the United Kingdom on total allowable catch (TAC) levels for shared stocks has yet to be reached, new provisional quotas will be set until the end of July in order to make the operation of the European fleets feasible.

In agriculture, discussions continue on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy 2021-2027, which was presented three years ago and is expected to be concluded in May next. The intention of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU is to reach a global agreement by May so that the new CAP can come into force on 1 January 2023.

Learn more about this meeting in the website of the Council of the European Union.