The evaluation of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy was the focus of a debate held on Thursday in the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, with references to the sustainability of fish stocks, the profitability of the fisheries sector, support for small-scale fishers and the need for possible targeted changes to the existing framework.
Speaking at the plenary, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis said that the Regulation on the Common Fisheries Policy forms the European Union’s basis for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
Kadis said that the Commission’s evaluation, which was presented in April, one decade after the last revision of the framework, confirmed that the approach adopted in 2013 remains valid. That approach, he added, aimed to combine environmental, social and economic sustainability.
According to the Commissioner, the evaluation shows that the effectiveness of the Regulation depends not only on its overall framework, but also on the operational implementation of its tools. These, he noted, include technical and conservation measures, control mechanisms and multiannual plans.
At international level, Kadis said that the EU remains a global leader in sustainable fisheries. He added that this role must be maintained, particularly in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as in ensuring fair competition for European operators vis-à-vis fleets from third countries.
The Commissioner also said that the evaluation provided a diagnosis of the existing rules and that political decisions now need to be taken on the way forward. As he said, it will have to be examined which of the shortcomings identified require legislative changes and to what extent.
In his reply, the Commissioner said that he had listened carefully to the remarks of MEPs and recalled that this is the first time since the 2013 reform that the Regulation on the Common Fisheries Policy has been evaluated with such comprehensive data.
The Commissioner noted that, taking these data into account, he will consider submitting a proposal to the College of Commissioners for a targeted amendment to the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation, in line with the Commission’s better regulation procedures.
