Final round of EU CFP reform negotiations this week – Fishupdate.com
Final round of EU CFP reform negotiations this week Published: 28 May, 2013
The final round of negotiations in the EU Common Fisheries Policy reform are expected to take place this week, 2829 May.
The European Parliaments rapporteur sent a letter on Monday to the Irish presidency proposing changes to the latest bid from Council.
While the Fisheries Council claims that the new position they adopted 15 May makes significant concessions towards the parliament, MEPs do not agree.
“In spite of claims to the opposite, EU governments are moving in the wrong direction and are trying to wriggle out of putting the CFP on a sustainable footing. The latest council mandate is even less ambitious in a number of key areas, Green MEP Isabella Lövin said in a statement on Monday.
“It is extremely concerning that EU governments continue to oppose the proposals by the European Parliament for a meaningful and ambitious reform of the EU’s fisheries policy.
“With negotiations now in the endgame phase, the European Parliament needs to insist on setting fishing quotas at sustainable levels by 2015, with an aim of stock recovery by 2020. It is also imperative that there are binding targets for improving fishing gear selectivity.
“The European Parliament has expressed willingness to compromise with the conservative demands from EU governments but not on core principles that are central to the reform. We cannot waste this historic opportunity to reform the EU’s malfunctioning fisheries policy; the EP must not back down,” said the MEP.
MEPs from the group Fish For the Future sent a letter to the Parliaments rapporteur, Ulrike Rodust, calling on her not to accept the Councils latest proposals without changes:For all that the Council claims to have moved towards Parliament the position it has taken is in too many respects far removed from that of MEPs. It omits key elements and substitutes legally binding commitments with platitudes. Were the CFP Basic Regulation to be adopted in this form it would be regarded as a severe disappointment and a missed opportunity. the MEPs wrote.”We urge you to insist that the Council accepts the very reasonable modifications you propose as a package in their entirety and without change. Tell the Presidency: “take it or leave it”!”
Ulrike Rodust on Monday sent a letter to the Irish presidency with a number of key requests fo new compromises.