EU´s cod plan violates the EU´s rules, says Swedish Greens – Fishupdate.com

EU´s cod plan violates the EU´s rules, says Swedish Greens Published:  15 September, 2006

THE EU proposal for a new Baltic cod plan and new quotas for next year violate the European Union’s basic regulation on fisheries, the Swedish Green Party today claim in a letter to the EU Commissioner Joe Borg.

The Swedish Greens highlight the fact that the EU fishing reform from 2002 states that a recovery plan should be implemented when the stocks are in such a bad state as the cod in the Baltic East of the island of Bornholm. In July the Commission presented a plan which,the Greens say, does not fulfill the criteria for recovery plans laid down in the EU´s own fishing policy.

“It is clear that the Commission has not understood the scientific advice from ICES,” Green MP Åsa Domeij says.

“The Commission’s plan is particularly serious in combination with the Commission proposal for next year’s quotas tabled last week. The proposals are unsustainable and condemn the cod to a continued crisis during the reminder of this Commission’s term. The Commission should table new proposals which at least can live up to their own rules”, Ms Domeij says.

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