Common Fisheries Policy needs urgent reform

Brussels, 25th February 2010

Brussels, 25th February 2010 -- The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) needs root and branch reform so that a more regional policy can take account of the positions of scientists and fishermen, Marek Gróbarczyk MEP, fisheries coordinator for the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, said today after MEPs adopted their report on the CFP Green Paper.

When the former European Commissioner for fisheries, Joe Borg, announced the Green Paper last April, he admitted that the existing policy had not succeeded in its objectives. The Green Paper is intended to generate a debate on the future of the policy, with further proposals expected in March this year.

The ECR group wants to see decisions regarding fish stocks made locally rather than in ivory towers in Brussels. It also wants to bring an end to fish 'discards' - when caught fish is returned to the sea because it is over quota, even though the fish is already dead and perfectly edible. It also calls on the commission to examine the possibility of adopting new fisheries management models to replace the traditional system of total allowable catches (TACs) and the quota system

Speaking in the debate just before the vote this morning, Mr Gróbarczyk said:

"This report is only the basis for the construction of the future Fisheries Policy. It requires a root and branch reform to express concern for the environment and to link this with the concern for the cultural heritage of fisheries.

"The purpose of the fisheries policy must be regionalisation based on the conditions prevailing on individual seas. It will be possible to base these decisions on the opinions of scientists and fishermen and the achieved compromise will ensure a fair fisheries policy.

"The new fisheries policy must give an incentive for the development of this sector, taking account of the crisis affecting Europe.

"We must also bring our attention to the draining nature of the industrial fisheries taking place on the Baltic Sea in particular where healthy and precious fish are being processed into fish-meal for farming. At the same time, toxic panga from the Far East is being delivered to European tables. This is a blow to European coastal fisheries, which are nature-friendly and should be the subject of particular care.

"We need a fair system of fisheries, which will replace the manipulative quota system. We need fair opportunities for all fishermen in all countries of Europe. The ECR Group supports this report with the hope for change of the current system."

Contact:

Mr Gróbarczyk on +32 228 45864

ECR Press Office
 
Jakub Piasecki +32 470 504614
James Holtum +32 473 861762

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