The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) must be revised by 2012: this is a legal obligation and a very complex operation, which requires an in-depth discussion and involves the consultation of all stakeholders. The process will be a long one, explained Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, who on 29 September will present to EU fisheries ministers - meeting informally in Brussels - a document containing an initial analysis of the situation as well as a work programme and a schedule. For Borg, who joins the French EU Presidency in this task, it is important to launch this process and, even if the reform will be the work of the next Commission, it is important to send, as of now, a strong signal to all stakeholders and warn them that the reform will be “very ambitious”. The commissioner will also recall that both the institutions (including the Commission) and the various parties in the sector must prepare themselves for the move towards co-decision as regards fisheries, as soon as the new treaty enters into force.

AMBITIOUS REFORMS

Joe Borg considers that the time has come to reconsider the fisheries policy as a whole and to tackle all issues, whether they be sensitive and/or disputed, without any taboos. The 2002 reform, estimates the Commission, was only a partial one. The next one will have to be more ambitious, even if it means bringing into question some of the CFP’s basic principles, including those considered today to be the cornerstone of this policy. This belief is reinforced by the EU Court of Auditors’ report, which had highlighted the failures of the current system, the fuel crisis - which changed the situation regarding the profitability and viability of numerous activities - and the need for a better integration of Community policies, which becomes more evident each day.

The main axes of the Commission’s discussion, presented by Joe Borg to the College of Commissioners on 17 September, were informally “tested” among member states which, according to a source close to the Commission, “reacted cautiously”. Because, it has been said, the fisheries sector is traditionally conservative and resistant to change, and it should be anticipated that there will be some resistance. This is a fact of which the Commission is fully aware and it makes a point of explaining that it wishes to take the time to consult, or even convince, the parties involved.

LOOPHOLES AND FAILURES

In its initial analysis, the Commission firstly highlights the lack of “responsibilisation” of a sector which “expects everything from the public authorities,” leading to political pressure on ministers, who are pushed to take short-term decisions whereas, in order to really ensure the future and durability of activity, it would be necessary to take long-term decisions. The reform, insists the Commission, should establish a policy which favours the responsibilisation of the industry and member states.

Next, the Commission points to the lack of synergy between the various policies (fisheries, structural and industrial). Here it directly hits upon the problem of overcapacity and subsidies. The Commission recognises that more public money was used for fleet modernisation than for ship dismantling, as a result of which, if there was a significant reduction in the fleet, this did not therefore mean a reduction in capacity, let alone a reduction in excessive pressure on the resources. Concerning the management of the resources, the Commission also recognises the problems and failures of the mechanism for setting total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas. It defends the principle of a gradual move towards long-term management, a process embarked upon with the implementation of reconstitution and management plans in the framework of the 2002 reform. Nonetheless, the issue of an in-depth revision of the system and its foundations must be clearly raised. These issues will be at the heart of the future reform.

For the time being, best use must be made of the available instruments and the entire 2002 reform must be implemented: the fight against illegal, undeclared and unregulated (IUU) fishing, waste reduction and the reinforcement of controls (a proposal on this subject should be presented by the end of October). Joe Borg also suggests using - more systematically - the possibilities of sanctions and closing fisheries in the event of infringement and underlines the need to improve coherence between the various pillars of the CFP, such as structural funds, conservation measures and control measures.

In the longer term, the issue of decisions which are “short-sighted and irresponsible, as well as the lack of responsibilisation of the industry” should be clearly tackled, but this implies more radical changes both institutionally and on behalf of the industry, underlined Borg.

SCHEDULE

Following the informal Council debate, the Commission hopes that the European Council of December 2008 will give it the green light to officially launch the revision process. At the level of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), the analysis work has already begun to establish a real “diagnosis” of the state of European fisheries, on the basis of reliable data which are as objective as possible. It should lead to the publication, at the beginning of 2009, of a synthesis document, establishing the terms of the debate and posing a certain number of questions. This document will be the subject of a public consultation, the conclusions of which will be drawn at the beginning of 2010, the year during which the competent services will carry out an impact study on the planned options and develop proposals (end of 2010, beginning of 2011), so that the necessary decisions can be taken at the appropriate time (before 31 December 2012).

The 2002 reform, estimates the Commission, was only a partial one